#this is inspired by wide doc

[chirpsythismorning]

me trying to explain why apocalypse byler x will byers with a gun s5 agenda wouldn't be fan-service bc s4 (and even s1) already hinted at it

[nokmietarchive]

donnie from mutant manhunt, au belongs to @baskeigh-ball

the doc oc arms rule i felt inspired... please click to full view, i forgot how bad wide images appear in posts on tumblr :')

[poundstonaira]

Moment - Leon Kennedy x F!Reader

CW: PinV, Vaginal Sex, Creampie, Cowgirl, Drugging, Friendly Experiment, DubCon, Porn with Feelings, Cunnilingus, Dry Humping, Resident Evil 2 Leon, Rookie Police Officer Leon, Friends with Benefits/Possible Romantic Undertones (?)

Song Inspiration: Moment - Victoria Monet

Word Count: 7,278

Summary: A friendly experiment turns into something more, revealing true feelings.

It was a rainy autumn morning in Racoon City, and your favourite rookie has just finished a mission, it appears to be. He was headed up the stairs of the main lobby of the police department before you snuck up behind him. 

“Rookie Officer Leon Kennedy.” You whispered behind your new friend, creeping a hand up his shoulder, earning a flinch from the blue-eyed boy. He fully turned around to face you with a startled expression and a flushed face. 

“O-oh… Good Afternoon, doctor.” He looked away upon seeing your face, scratching the back of his head. You smile at him due to his obvious shyness of your presence. 

Leon just started working at the Racoon Police Department less than two weeks ago and you have already taken an interest in him. There was just something about his bashfulness and politeness that made you intrigued in the young gentleman. You were a scientist and a doctor who worked at Umbrella and also took charge in checking in with the officers at RPD to see if they were healthy, knowing their job often takes up time, which affects their mental, physical, and overall health. Since Leon just started, you took extra time making sure he was alright– not only that, but it was also because you were bored and like messing with the boy. 

“Did I scare you?” You cooed, a side of your lip curled upward in a smirk, inching your face closing to Leon’s as he took a step back. You took a step forward. “You look like you just saw a ghost.” You added, chuckling harmlessly. 

“A little.” Leon muttered, his face a little red. At his response, you laughed warmly, placing a finger to his cheek to see how warm his face was. 

“You don’t have to lie, officer. It’s okay to get a little scared.” You said, still teasing him. The red colour on his cheek intensified at the usage of his title.  

“I don’t get scared.” He scoffed, politely removing your finger from his cheek and placing it back down to your side. 

“Then explain that flinch you did upon me touching you.” 

“You caught me by surprise.” 

“Which means I scared you.” You stuck your tongue out. 

“...” Leon sighed, running a hand through his hair, then placing his hands in the pockets of his black pants. “Anyways, why are you in the police department today? Don’t you have a new virus to study?” He asked with curiosity, no sign of annoyance anywhere. 

That question alone would then proceed to him having an experience like no other. If only he’d known. 

“I can’t check to see how the rookie is doing? Jeez… so quick to get rid of me, aren’t you?” You pretended to act hurt, putting a hand to your chest.

“N-no! I didn’t mean it like that…” He denied, putting his hands up, proving his innocence. “I was just curious as to why you’re here today, you’re rarely here today.” He continued, his eyes wide with small fear, probably hoping that you weren’t actually hurt with what he said.

“I have a new medicine I’ve developed… I need to test it on someone… preferably male.” You said casually, to which you earned a look from Leon with his eyes wide and mouth agape, eyebrows knitted from what seems like horror. Leon took a nervous step back on the stairs from where he was, which made him more taller than you in the moment. 

“Uhh… I don’t like where this is going, doc.” Absolute uncertainty came from his voice, he took three steps back on the stairs.

“Oh you will, just follow me.” You snatched his hand with enough force to almost make him trip and dragged him towards the outside of the police station.

“What if-”

“Do you have any objections?” 

“No, ma’am.” Leon sighed, doing nothing but following you to wherever the hell you were taking him. 

… 

“Welcome to my personal laboratory, Leon.” You opened the door to your lab with Leon behind you. It had the black counters filled with various, usual lab items on top of them such as the microscopes, the tweezers, the gloves, the bottles of the pills, the graduated cylinders, beakers, the filtering flasks, the coffee filters and other usual scientist materials you used for researched. Past the countertops and cabinets and such, there was a bed and a desk  behind the lab, it sort of looked like a dorm bedroom. 

“I still don’t like the sound of this, Doctor.” You heard Leon say behind you as he still followed you toward the bed. At his response you turned around with a raised eyebrow. 

“And why is that? Are you scared I'm going to turn you into a bioweapon?” You asked, frowning. 

“Well… Yes but knowing you, I don’t think you would actually do that to me.” He took a seat on the bed as you went to the desk. You laughed. You were many things; a doctor, a chemist, a botanist, an overall scientist, a little unhinged when it came to your interests, a few years older than Leon (he was 21, and you were 25), a chocolate croissant lover, a coffee hater but, you weren’t a bioterrorist. That was for sure. 

“You’re right. Anyways," You said, looking at the blue capsule that laid on a tissue, next to a cup of water. "To the point; I need to see how your body is going to react to this new supplement. You’re not going to be in any pain but you may get a little aroused. Are you okay with that?” You emphasised on the word ‘little’, picking up the capsule and handing it to the rookie police officer. You were lying, it was a sex enhancing supplement for Christ’s sake. He will get aroused. By a huge amount. Getting aroused wasn’t the concern since that was a given, it was how he would react to the supplement. Would he keep control? Would he lose control of his urges? Would see for yourself and deal with the consequences later.

“If I’m not going to die, sure.” Leon eyed the capsule carefully, even blinking twice. He’s most likely thinking if doing this was either going to kill him, or if the actual effect of the supplement would end up doing something to him that would have him lose control over himself. You were thinking the same thing. 

“Excellent.” A thought sparked your curiosity. “Ever had sex before, Leon?” You smirked, earning another concerned look from the boy who still hasn’t swallowed the capsule yet.

“Once… I think.” He spoke shyly. 

‘Pfft. He thinks? It’s either you did or you didn’t.’ You sighed to yourself. 

“Okay. You can take the pill now,” You told him.  “After you take the pill and drink the water, I’ll need you to lay on the bed so I can track the reaction of the pill versus your body.” You turned on the computer that was on your desk. 

“How does that work?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Your desk had a computer on it that was bluetoothed to the bed itself. When powered on, the computer tracks and sees sounds and images from the person who was on the bed, but that was only if they were unconscious. How did you engineer it to work? You don’t even know yourself.

“Here goes nothing.” Then, Leon swallowed the pill and drank the cup of water before laying on the bed, waiting to pass out.

‘Here goes nothing indeed.’

Nothing is going to happen. It’s just a friendly experiment, isn’t it? 

...

“Please… can I eat you?”

Well, this is not what you were expecting. On the screen, the rookie police officer was between your legs. Your dress was pulled up to your hips, Leon was holding your dress up with one hand while the other was holding onto your underwear. You stared at Leon, your eyes and his both wide with curiosity and obsession.

“Leon…” You let out a heavy sigh, he leaned into your neck which made you feel his warm breath, you heard him sniff, he took in your scent. 

“Please, miss. Please let me have you… I promise I will be a good fucktoy for you.” Leon whined, laying his head on your neck, still sniffing your addicting perfume. As you were watching this all go down from the screen, your breath hitched. 

‘No way.’ Your heart dropped to your stomach out of shock. You covered your mouth with your hand as the other was attempting to write down notes of the current situation happening on the screen. 

You watched as all you could do was nod your head and watch as he gently took your underwear off and threw it on the floor beneath you. You saw your nectar dripping down your thighs just by the action. Leon then dropped down and started licking your inner thighs, automatically moaning. The combined sounds of him using his tongue on you, his moans against your drenched pussy, and your whimpers didn't make it any better.

“I’ve thought about doing this so many times. I’ve even masterbated to the thought of you and how you would feel, taste, and sound, and it’s even better feeling it right now… God, miss, you are so perfect.” The rookie worshiped you, his moans and licks earned a wanton moan from you. You were breathing so heavily as if your life was on edge. 

“T-that feels so good– oh Leon~.” You breathed out, your arousal rising with every lick and suck Leon did to your pussy.

“You taste so good, miss. Am I doing a good job, miss? Am I being a good boy for you?” He asked, you felt his excitement on his lips against your wet, soaked flower. 

“You are such a good boy, Leon– fuck!” You saw yourself throwing your head back, grabbing onto Leon's hair forcing his head to your crotch even further, making the polite assault against your flower even more intense. 

“I'm so hard for you. You don't know how long I've been waiting for my tongue to taste you.” You felt his mouth against your flower as he breathed you in for a moment before licking your clit. “I love how you taste. I want more.” He moaned into your dripping cunt again, talking between long, languid, and torturing licks.

Oh. And he got more. He adjusted your position, pushing you further away from the edge of the bed and closer to the middle, causing a yelp to leave your lips. He had a better angle, his head was buried between your thighs, slurping up all the juices that left your body and into his mouth, and around his lips. Leon’s hands made sure your legs were wrapped his head tightly, he did not want to let you go nor have this moment end.

Meanwhile, you were watching it all happen from the screen, rapidly blinking, trying to figure out what on earth was going on inside Leon’s head. It was so bizarre, so wild, and so raunchy but, it fascinated you. Was this what Leon was daydreaming about when he was on his shifts at the police station? Was he really thinking about having you scream his name while he devoured you? There’s no way. 

You didn’t even know what to write down anymore, you already recorded how sweaty Leon’s actual body was, his heavy breathing, not to mention his erection. It was beyond impressive. 

‘There’s no way he’s this bold… There is just no way.’ You thought to yourself as you continued to watch in awe. 

 “L-Leon… calm down.” You tried to warn him as he now used two fingers to rub your clit as he licked you. “It’s too much.” Your breath hitched. There was sweat dripping down your face, tears left your eyes and your make up was smudged, and there was drool dripping down your chin. You were an absolute mess. Even your eyes were losing focus as you tried to grab Leon’s hair again as a way for him to slow down. He only got quicker. 

You stared at the screen in awe but, your eyes were squinted and your mouth was closed firm, trying to hide your amusement at what was going on inside the blond rookie’s head. He was definitely a virgin if he was holding back all of this sexual desire to fuck you. He was given the opportunity to make you come many times but never actually did. Now, you kind of understand why. It would be weird to let him fuck you the way he wanted to if it mean that you were on the verge of passing out, and he didn’t even plunge his dick into you yet. 

“I can’t calm down, mistress.” His voice was muffled, still eating you out. He looked at you with those lovely baby blue eyes of his, they were full of euphoria. The pet name sends butterflies twirling around your stomach. “You’re so beautiful that I can’t stop.” 

“B-But Leon–” You started and you stopped, he gave you one nice lick on your clit as he used his fingers inside of you to reach to your G-spot.  “I’m gonna–” You reached your high, let out a heavy moan as you came to your release, he slurped all your juices up again. Leon moved so that his face was on top of yours, he was panting heavily himself, staring at you with so much care and desire. 

“Did you enjoy yourself, miss?” Leon asked you before he went down to kiss you on the lips, you saw yourself react to the kiss, you twitched a little and it was probably because you could taste yourself on his lips.  

Your head was tilted to the side as you watched the interaction continue. You couldn’t say you weren’t aroused, though. It was really hot. Leon was hot. You looked tired, almost gone from pure pleasure.

Then, your eyes closed and the screen went blank. 

‘That must mean he’s awake now.’ You walked away from the screen and went to see Leon’s physical body. He’s on the verge of waking up. Leon’s body was all sweaty, his breathing was intense, his mouth was agape, and his erection was still there, loud and proud. What a virgin. 

“Leon? Are you okay?” You asked him, putting the back of your hand to his head, he was still sweaty but you didn’t mind. 

Leon slowly opened his eyes. 

Leon’s eye met your eyes, a flicker of fear mingling with something else you couldn’t quite place. He was young, his eyes still holding the wide-eyed innocence of someone who hadn’t yet seen touched the woman they have loved. You felt a sudden surge of protectiveness and an arrival of lust.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice husky. “I… couldn’t control my thoughts anymore… I’m sorry.”

You took a step closer, your heart beating a little faster. You placed your hand on his shoulder, the warmth of his skin radiating through onto your hand “It’s okay, Leon. I’m not disgusted or anything.”

His gaze held yours, intense and full of a raw vulnerability that made something inside you stir. The air, thick with unspoken emotion, crackled between you.

He leaned forward, a hesitant touch of his lips grazing your cheek. The warmth of his breath sent a shiver down your spine, a strange sensation that made your pulse quicken. He was now a patient of yours and not just your friend. He was your responsibility, yet in that moment, you felt the boundaries blurring. It was inevitable. 

He pulled back, his baby-blue eyes filled with a question you couldn’t quite decipher. You knew you shouldn’t, that this was wrong, yet the pull was irresistible. You reached out, your fingertips brushing against his cheek, the feeling of his skin smooth and cool beneath your touch.

He closed his eyes, a soft sigh escaping his lips. You could feel the tension in his body easing, his need for comfort and reassurance radiating through their unspoken connection. You leaned forward, the gap between you diminishing, until your lips met his.

Leon was kissing you. 

The kiss was soft, hesitant at first, but it quickly deepened, the warmth of his mouth against yours igniting a fire in your veins. It was a collision of need and desire, a shared moment of vulnerability that transcended the limitations of your roles.

As the kiss broke, you stepped back, your breath catching in your throat. The room seemed to spin, the scent of disinfectants suddenly overwhelming, a stark reminder of the reality that surrounded the two of you.

“I-” Leon started, but you stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“N-no. It’s okay, you can continue.” You sputtered out, looking away, hoping he doesn’t reject your offer. And he doesn’t. 

“Miss…” He breathed out, placing you on his lap. “ Are you sure?” He held you onto your hips, securing you in his arms.  

“Yes.”

“Because I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself for much longer.”

“It’s alright, Leon, because you have me where you want me.”

Leon's strong arms encircle your waist, his hands exploring your curves as he pulls you closer. Your heart races at his touch, as if it's trying to break free from your chest. You can feel the warmth radiating from his muscular body, a stark contrast to the cool lab air that envelops you. His blonde hair is slightly disheveled, and his blue eyes shimmer with desire as he gazes into yours.

As a doctor and scientist, your mind usually focuses on logical explanations and solving complex problems. But in this moment, surrounded by the evidence of your shared passion, your thoughts are consumed by Leon. Your fingers trace the lines of his biceps, feeling the strength that lies beneath. The heat between you grows stronger, like a flame that refuses to be extinguished.

Leon's lips find yours, delicious and demanding. His kiss tastes like the promise of something new, something exhilarating. His hands wander to the buttons of your lab coat, undoing them slowly, as if savoring each moment. Your body shivers in anticipation as the cool air brushes against your skin.

The fabric falls away, revealing your skin underneath. You're a vision of beauty, a testament to the fiery passion that burns between you and Leon. The soft strands of your hair cascade over your shoulders, framing your face and making you look even more captivating.

Leon's gaze rakes over you, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. He tucks a stray piece of your hair behind your ear, a tender gesture that sends a jolt of electricity through your veins. His thumb brushes over your bottom lip, eliciting a soft gasp. You reach for the hem of his uniform, ready to unravel the layers that separate your skin from his.

But first, Leon wants to taste every inch of you. His lips trail a path down your neck, lingering on the sensitive spot where your pulse throbs wildly. His stubble scratches against your skin, coaxing shivers of delight from deep within your core. His mouth continues its descent, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

Your hands find their way into his hair, tangling in the golden strands as you pull him closer. His tongue traces the outline of your bra, teasing the erect nubs beneath the lace. Your breath catches at the exquisite pleasure, your body arching towards his touch.

Leon's fingers deftly unclasp your bra, freeing your breasts to the cool lab air. His hands cup them, his fingers gently pinching the nipples, sending darts of pleasure to your core. You can feel the dampness seeping through your panties, a clear sign of your growing desire.

Your body thrums with need, yearning for more than just these tantalizing touches. You manage to unbutton Leon's uniform, hastily pushing it off his shoulders. His muscular chest is revealed, a testament to the countless hours he's spent training. Your fingers trace the lines of his muscles, feeling the tautness beneath.

Leon's skin is like stone tempered by fire, hot and unyielding. He responds to your touch, his breath heavy and ragged. His confidence as a rookie police officer is replaced by the vulnerability of a man surrendering to his desires. He's no longer in control, and at this moment, neither are you.

Together, you're two bodies caught in the whirlpool of passion, swirling and spinning, swept away by the force of your love. You help each other out of your clothes, until you're both completely bare, your bodies bared for each other to see and touch.

You lie back on the bed, inviting Leon to explore every inch of your body. He accepts the invitation, his mouth returning to the tender spot where your neck meets your shoulder. His tongue traces the outline of your ear, and you can't help but gasp at the sensations that ripple through you.

Leon's hand slides down your body, tracing a path from your collarbone to your abdomen. His fingers dip into the waistband of your panties, teasing the skin beneath. You wriggle in anticipation, desperately wanting him to continue exploring.

At last, his fingers slip beneath your panties, finding the slick heat that signals your desire. You moan at the tender touch, your back arching off the bed. Leon's fingers dance over your clit, teasing and exploring, pushing you closer to the edge.

“Fuck…” Suddenly, his fingers slip inside you, filling the void that's been aching for him since the moment you met. Your body clenches around him, your hips bucking against his hand. Leon's lips capture your moans, silencing them with another searing kiss. “Faster… please…” 

Together, you climb the mountain of pleasure, reaching higher and higher until you're teetering on the edge. Your breath comes in short, sharp gasps, your body trembling with the force of your need. And then, suddenly, you fall, plummeting into the abyss, the pleasure exploding through you like a supernova.

You cry out, your orgasm tearing through your body, a fierce storm that leaves you breathless and disoriented. Leon's fingers continue their rhythm, drawing out the last waves of pleasure until you're limp and sated.

But you're not done yet. There's still the matter of Leon, his body straining and aching with need. You wrap your hand around his length, feeling the warmth and hardness beneath your fingertips. Leon groans at your touch, his hips bucking forward, as if seeking more.

You oblige him, your hand sliding up and down his shaft, slick with desire. Your thumb rubs circles over the tip, eliciting gasps and moans from Leon. His body trembles beneath your touch, the pleasure building inside him like a volcano about to erupt.

And then, with a final, desperate moan, he gives in, the pleasure surging through him like a tidal wave. His release spills over your hand, warm and sticky. You continue to stroke him gently, calming the waves of pleasure that still ripple through his body.

You felt Leon plop his body onto yours, sweaty and heavy as he was panting from his orgasm. You breathed in his masculine, musky, and fresh scent. He smelled so good. 

“I’ll give you five minutes.” You sighed, running your other hand through his hair. 

“Thank you, miss…” He let out a tired laugh while he was still laying his body on top of you, breathing you in.

You just sat there, still horny and on-edge, studying his nut on your hand. Of course, it was white, wet, sticky, and a little thick, but you wondered what it would taste like if you were to have a little lick. Was that weird?  

All of a sudden, Leon pulls you by the hips and flips you on top of him, actually lining up his length beneath you. You tried to use your arms to steady yourself but you were too startled. 

“W-what!? Already?” You gasped, placing your hands on his firm, muscular, but lean chest to further balance yourself as you straddled him. You keep forgetting he’s drugged, and it left you thinking if this was really okay.

“I told you I wouldn’t be able to hold back…” Leon huskily whispered in your ear,  holding your neck with hand, basically gluing you in place. “Please, miss… please just let me fuck you.”   

Your core got heated just from hearing his plea and you felt yourself dripping wet again. “Leon… You’re not sober… You’re drugged… This isn’t right.” Even so, you protested, trying to keep this barrier between the two of you. Then again, it was hopeless at this point. 

“That doesn’t matter, I need this… I need it now.” Without a second thought, he plunged himself into you, causing a wanton moan to leave your lips as soon as your body first reacted to the stimuli. 

‘He’s bigger than I thought…’ 

“Leon…” You whined, tears filling your eyes from the immense pleasure as you placed your hands on his shoulders for guidance. His upward thrusts started off slow as a way to get used to your tight entrance, he then started to warm up, thrusting upwards a little faster. “You’re so big…” 

“You’re so tight, miss. You’re squeezing me so good… Fuck…”  Leon lets out a high-pitch moan, gripping your hips harder than before, ensuring that all you can do is bounce on him. 

The pleasure was overwhelming, too much even. That didn’t stop you, though, it made you even more hungry and horny. You bounced on him faster and faster, moving your hands to his chest, admiring the scene of how each lean but callous muscle sat perfectly beneath his skin as clenched around his cock tighter.

“You’re doing such a good job, miss– I’m so close…” His hand moved to your ass, causing you to lean down towards him. You were no longer doing all the here as he took matters into his own hands and started thrusting into your cunt faster than before, so fast that you were losing yourself in the process and your vision blanked out, and you swore you saw all the stars in the the universe as Leon pounded into you. You were practically drooling. 

‘He’s close already?’ That was your only thought as you kept repeating the same actions, all you could hear was the sounds of your own moans and pants, and Leon’s whines and whimpers. You were getting close yourself, so close that your body was becoming limp on top of him, but he held you up by the front of your neck with his other hand. 

“Ngh– Leon!” It all felt amazing and electrifying at the same time, but you couldn’t handle it anymore. The motion had you overstimulated and breathing heavily than before. You were at your  breaking point before you came all over Leon’s cock. At the same time, Leon did one final thrust before spilling his seed into you, making you gasp at the warm feeling in your canal.

“Did you enjoy yourself, miss? You came all over my cock…”

At last, you both lie spent and sated, tangled in each other's arms. The lab air is cool against your skin, but you don't feel the chill. Instead, you bask in the afterglow of your love, the connection that binds you together.

As a doctor and scientist, you've seen love in many forms, but none as intense and passionate as the love you share with Leon. It's a force that defies logic and reasoning, a force that transcends the boundaries of your lab and reaches out into the world.

He stared at you, a mixture of emotions swirling in his eyes. “I... I should go,” he mumbled, his voice hoarse.

You nodded, unable to find the words to articulate the turmoil within you. You watched him leave, the image of his lingering gaze seared into your memory.

The lab felt empty, the hum of the fluorescent lights suddenly hollow. You were left with the lingering taste of his kiss, a forbidden fruit that left you both wanting and guilt-stricken; His hands, which felt as if it was heaven on earth against your skin; His body, it was as if you were in the arms of a protector. It was a moment of reckless abandon, a transgression of boundaries that you knew you couldn’t repeat. It was a secret that you would carry with you, a memory that you knew would forever haunt you, a reminder of the line you had crossed.

...

You were in your lab, sitting at your desk, conflicted. 

“I… I should go…” 

The look of confusion but nervousness on his face after you guys had your moment yesterday, it really stuck with you. But, you weren’t sure what really conflicted you: Was it the unethical situation of a drugged Leon begging you to fuck him, or was it the fact that you were stunned with his feelings for you? Then again, you wouldn’t be able to tell because he was drugged.

‘The information I’m getting from yesterday is messing with me… very badly. I’m not sure if Leon meant everything he said or if the pill was controlling his thoughts.’ You wrote down in your notebook. Your lab was silent while the sound of you clicking your pen rapidly was the only sound that was made. 

Your body didn’t feel right. More specifically, your mind wasn’t in the right space. Your stomach hurt a little bit but you felt all tingly inside at the same time. 

Although you hated to admit to yourself, you really didn’t want yesterday to only be a one time thing. You wanted more, you wanted to see how Leon truly felt about you without any type of drug getting in the way of his thinking. 

Then again, Leon was nice. Too nice when it came to women it would appear.  So, here you were, at your desk, in your lab, staring at the same bed Leon fucked you on, the same bed where Leon imagined himself eating you out on, thinking about how you are going to approach him about this. ‘This’ being the new relationship you guys may have to take into consideration between the two of you. Your bottom felt tense as you bit it. 

‘But I don’t want to disturb him again. He’s probably really perplexed because of yesterday. Maybe I should-’ Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard that annoying repeated vibration from your cell phone that was on your desk, next to your notebook.  And speak of the devil, it was Leon calling you. You felt your stomach sink as soon as you saw his name on the screen. 

‘Great. Now he’s gonna say that we shouldn’t be friends anymore.’ You slowly picked up your phone and swiped to answer the call.

“Hello?” You answered with a stoic voice, waiting for the blond-haired man to speak next. 

“Hey, _/_…” There was a moment of silence. At this point, your stomach tried eating itself alive before the next sentence was said. You were so nervous that you even debated hanging up on him. “I was wondering if you had time to meet up today? It’s Friday, so my shift ends earlier than usual.” Oh?

To your surprise, you adjusted yourself in your seat, now perked up with your stomach relaxing on you. “Uhm… Yeah, we can. Where do you want to meet up?” You asked with a bit more gleam in your tone.

“How about my apartment? It’s not too far from outside Raccoon.” The butterflies in your stomach started swooning, but you had to calm yourself down. Maybe he wanted to speak to you in a private place so that nobody is aware of what you two did in the building yesterday. 

‘His apartment? Is he going to pick me up or something? I take a cab to work everyday.’

“If you’re willing to pick me up from my lab, then sure.” You simply replied, staring at the digital clock at your desk. The current time was 16:30PM. (4:30PM) This meant that you had 30 minutes left until you were free until Monday, then the work cycle starts all over again. It also meant that you had 30 minutes until you had to talk to Leon.  That didn’t help your anxiety. 

“That works. What time do you finish work?”

“In 30 minutes.”  

“Great. See you then.” 

“Cya.” You hung up the call, too shaky to stay on the line just a little bit longer. All you wanted to do was to get this done and over with, whatever he wanted to speak to you about. 

…

With haste, you left your work building, leaving through the front door and to see a clean, white RPD car in a Toyota Camry model parked right in front of you. It has to be Leon. You hurry up in your high heels, walking quickly down the stairs in front of the building. Before you could reach the last step, Leon steps out of the car, still in uniform and walks over to the shotgun seat of the car and pulls the door open with a click. ‘Maybe chivalry isn’t dead.’ You thought to yourself. 

For a moment, you stared at him, moreso, his body. While it was covered by his police uniform, which consisted of a blue button shirt, black pants, his belt and other shit you don’t care about, you were still able to pay attention to how nice his body was. Leon’s arms were a sight to see; lean, but there was enough muscle on his arms for you to fawn over. Not to mention how nicely the veins were placed on his forearms, and then hands were lovely too, they would make a nice necklace- 

“Something wrong?” He interrupted you out of your thoughts, raising an eyebrow and sticking his bottom lip out a bit. It was such an adorable face he made. He’s so cute when he’s curious.  

“You… have a nice car.” You stumbled over your words, going to the passenger seat. 

“Pfft. Thanks.” He scoffed before he closed the door and went to the drivers side and got in. You placed your tote bag on your lap right after you put on your seatbelt. All of the sudden, Leon grabs your tote bag and places it in the backseats. 

‘Uhm. Okay.’ You blinked rapidly. He didn’t even ask, he already knew to put your stuff away so that you weren’t carrying it on your tired lap.

“My apartment isn’t too far from here. It should be like a 30-40 minute drive from here.” The blue-eyed boy said as he started to drive. 

“That’s fine. It’s Friday so I don’t have work tomorrow. We can talk for as long as you want to.” You mumbled, looking out at the car’s windshield, not wanting to stare at Leon in case you couldn’t control your hormones. If you were to stare at him, it would make it look obvious that you still wanted more. Craved more. Needed more. Maybe he wanted to talk to you because he didn’t feel comfortable with what happened yesterday. 

“Are you sure?” He asked. 

“I’m sure.” You confirmed. 

“Okay.” He stayed quiet before you felt his eyes on you for a split second. 

…

The ride to Leon’s apartment was filled with the view of Raccoon city and all its glory, and to ruin it, the most uncomfortable silence known to mankind. It was as if the both of you wanted to say something just for the sake of conversation or what not, but your brain didn’t allow you to. You don’t know what he’s thinking but you know that you felt very on edge, restless. You kept bouncing your right leg as a way to calm yourself down from your nervousness. 

“Are you okay? You keep bouncing your leg.” Leon asked you, eyeing your legs. You looked at him for a split second before you diverted your eyes to the window next to you. 

“I always do this. I can’t help it.” You sighed, just wanting to get this done and over with. Why couldn’t he just come into your lab again?

“Well if you’re nervous about how long the ride is, we’re basically here.” Leon spoke as he pulled into a parking lot in front of the apartment complexes. 

“Yay.” You cheered dryly. Leon gets out and grabs your tote bag from the backseats, then he opens the door for you to get out, you grab your tote bag from him.

Leon and you make it to his apartment. Leon's apartment boasts a modern yet cozy living room with sleek hardwood floors, a plush sectional sofa adorned with soft, neutral-toned cushions, and a glass coffee table that holds a few scattered magazines and a remote control. A large flat-screen TV is mounted on the wall, flanked by minimalist bookshelves filled with an eclectic mix of novels and memorabilia from his police academy days. The adjoining kitchen is a chef's dream, featuring stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and ample cabinet space. A stylish breakfast bar with high stools provides the perfect spot for quick meals or casual conversations. Large windows in both spaces allow natural light to flood the apartment, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that offers a peaceful retreat from the chaos outside.

“You have a lovely apartment.” You say as you take off your shoes and place them by the door. 

“Thanks. You can take a seat on the sofa over there, I’ll grab you a glass of water.” You do as he says as he makes it to the kitchen and you take a seat on the sofa, plopping down as it is so cozy it is practically sinking you in. 

Leon comes back with two glasses of water and places them on the coffee table in front of you before sitting right next to you. Great. Now the both of you were sitting in the same, uncomfortable silence once again, but this time you were in his territory. Your legs are squeezed together and you’re twiddling your thumbs in your hands. Meanwhile, Leon leaned back on the sofa, his arms on top of it, manspreading as he looked away from you. 

“So…” You started, your leg starting to shake again, your eyes are trying their best not to give Leon any attention. “What do you wanna talk about?” You sighed, closing your eyes. 

“I wanted to talk about yesterday… if you don’t mind.” 

“Ah. Right. Yesterday.” Your heart dropped to the pits of your stomach. You bit your lip harsh, trying to bite yourself back to reality but you already were. “I’m sorry for taking advantage of you like that-”

“No. No. You didn’t take advantage of me, I was still mentally conscious from the pill.” Leon confessed, his cheeks now tinted with pink and so was his ears. It seemed as if he was quite skittish himself and you could tell from his body language that his statement was hard to admit. It’s almost as if he’s liked you this whole entire time… or was it lust?

“Really?” Your voice cracked as you automatically turned your head to look at him. 

“Yeah…” He nodded. Your eyes widened.

“I beg your pardon?” You commanded.

“What I mean to say is… I really enjoyed yesterday.” Leon said as he sat up, legs still spread apart and now he was playing with his hands. “I was wondering if you wanted… to… you know… do that again or to build a relationship of some sort where we could-”

“Do you want to be my boyfriend? Or do you just want to have casual sex?” When you asked those questions, Leon gazed at you, there was a hidden glint of bawdy wants in those beautiful baby blue eyes of his. Slowly, he leaned closer to you, making your body automatically back because of a sudden action, but his hand squeezed your thigh, tightly. 

“That, I’m still trying to figure out. We can figure that out after this.” With that, he takes his time to connect his lips with yours, and you don’t fight back. Instead, you kiss him back, eyes closed, experimenting with his touch– just like how you did yesterday. Your lips were locked with him in a fight to see who was to give up first. It didn’t seem like he was going to give up from the way he moaned when your tongue licked his lips, asking permission to enter, from the way they gladly let you in. It didn’t seem like you wanted to give up either, from the way you moved your hand to his side to prop yourself on his lap and straddle him all while still making out with him. 

You don’t know how much time has passed after this, all you know is that you weren’t about to let this moment slip right pass your fingers when everything you’ve ever wanted in a man is below you, between your legs, engulfed in your touch, and you were about to manifest this feeling between you two into existence.

You didn’t want to stop, you didn’t want to give up, you wanted more. You were hungry and you weren’t going to be satisfied until you consumed all of him, or if he consumed you. It didn’t matter at this point. 

The sound of your groans and Leon’s moans filled up the apartment. It was as if nothing else mattered. 

“Leon…” You moaned, grabbing a fistful of his hair continuing to grind into his crotch, begging to get something out of this, still kissing him. You could feel how badly he wanted this with no drug affecting him. He was hard, very hard. Hard to the point it felt as if his cock wanted to rip his pants open. 

“I wanna fuck you so bad.” Leon muttered quickly he moved the kisses from your lips to your neck. His hands slid down to your backside, giving you a nice squeeze that made you whimper. 

“Do you have a condom?” You asked, sliding your hands down to his pants, quicking, undoing his belt, taking it off and throwing it to the floor behind you, you proceeded to pull his pants down far enough to where you can see his boxers completely and the print of his large cock.

“I don’t…” He pulled away, giving you an innocent look on his face. Poor boy, how do you want sex but you don’t come prepared?

“That’s fine.” You sighed, pulling a condom out of your lab coat pocket before taking your coat off and throwing it to the ground. “Lean back.” You told Leon, and he followed the order. What a sight to see; your crush sitting directly beneath you, his handsome face all flushed and sweaty from what you did to him, and his uniform disheveled all over his body. Your hands went to his boxers, an area of them were soaked with precum due to how excited he was. You pulled his boxers down to reveal his shaft and your face heated up with quick speed. To say he was big was an understatement. 

‘He’s just watching me prep… is he still nervous?’ You thought to yourself as you ripped open the condom packaging, throwing it onto the ground before putting the condom onto his erect cock. 

“Come on, miss…” Leon begged, staring at you with such neediness. “Just fuck me.” 

“Patience.” 

And with that, you answered his pleas. 

[tteokdoroki]

𑊡˚+₊🍼✦ — h-hello firefighter!bakugou and heart surgeon!reader

૮ ͈>◡< ͈ა warnings — fluff, sfw. mentions of hospitals, surgeons, fires, firefighting, mutual pining, crushes, he has a huge crush on you ok!! and yes i’m sorry, this is grey’s anatomy inspired ajaja

“so— open wide— what brings you in this time, blondie?”

bakugou looks at you, petulant like a child and pissed all at once— begrudgingly letting you pry open his plump rosey lips with what looks like a popsicle stick. he sticks out his tongue for good measure, letting you inspect the back of his throat for black specks of ash while he eyes you up. not that you mind.

“purse pooch,” he grunts once you let him free to notes on your clipboard to document the state of his health. he watches your hands, stable and good enough to hold hearts and feel them beat. you’ve got a grip on his own heart and you hardly know the extent of it. “some chick left her stupid dog in her apartment while the building burnt down.” your fingers are soft as they brush over his chest and then his back before you reach for your stethoscope. “i told you, ‘m fine.”

rolling your eyes, you press the cool metal tool to bakugou’s back— his shoulders rippling at the cool temperature and his tight protective shirt does nothing to hide the dips of each muscle beneath it. “who’s the chief of cardio at this hospital, blondie?” you tease him, feeling around for the dull thump of his heart. the one that you’re so used to. the one that you love to hear. you’ve been treating katsuki since you were an intern and he’d just started out as a firefighter— now you’re here, years later, an attending in cardio at a top trauma-focused hospital in Japan and katsuki, the captain of his regiment.

bakugou rebuttals with pettish silence and you can’t help but smile to yourself. “exactly. i am.” there’s something about the way his heart sounds… beating faster and faster until it seems like it’s going to burst. it makes your face drop because as a doctor, it sounds like his heart is sick and not like he’s panicked over how close you are. “and i don’t go telling you how to do your job mister ‘i run into fires and save stupid dogs’, although i should. i see you in this ER more than i see my own apartment. dogs aren’t stupid by the way.”

“they are, ‘nd i told you, i’m fine.” amused, the blonde swats you away and clears his throat nervously when you meet his eye, moving to face him with the stethoscope hovering over his chest this time. stupidly and perfectly sculpted, it makes you hot under the skin.

“are not,” you respond to both of his statements like a child goading another one into getting in trouble. you even stick your tongue too. “and the girl was obviously worried sick about her pet. they can mean a lot people. just as much as a person can. when you love something, someone, their lives are important.”

just as you finish your wistful speech, katsuki’s pulse speeds on the monitor and your resident who had taken over charting perks up at the incessant beeping. “uh, doc? should we be concerned about that?”

you shouldn’t be. medically, it’s nothing — the firefighter is just flustered by you and your existence. how you speak so tenderly about someone’s love for something. to everyone else in this hospital including you, katsuki’s heart rate could be an indicator of something dangerous or life-ending instead of the obvious crush he has on you.

bakugou’s cheeks warm as he tries to bat your resident off of him— he can just tell that they want something to be wrong with him so the case can turn surgical. “get off’a me, twerp!” he spits, sourly. “i’m fine!”

“i’m the doctor, i decide when you’re fine. you decide when and how the fire goes out.” you’re scolding him, bantering with the man and it drives him up the wall— gives him another reason to fall for you.

relenting, and no longer fighting treatment— bakugou keeps talking to you, hungry for more than just your medical attention. “okay, the dog wasn’t stupid. it was…just dumb of the chick to leave him. he meant a lot to her son ‘nd that typa carelessness pisses me off. went back in to keep the kid from losin’ his animal…am i off the hook now?”

“so you do have a heart, i knew you went back in there for a reason.” you smile softly despite your worry for his health, repeatedly checking his pulse on the monitor until you can get it down. “he’s got elevated breath sounds on the right and a racing pulse. no soot in his lungs but i’d like to get him up to CT just to double check.” you tell your resident and step back to put the arms of his bed up.

“how many times do i gotta tell you, doc? i’m fine!”

bakugou grows grumpier. maybe because after all these years of him coming in for check-ups…you haven’t realised how much he likes you.

how much me might even love you.

“i know that, but i want to make sure, and i figured you’d want to stay with me for a few extra hours while i check up on you.” honey runs through his ears as you speak, leaning over bakugou to lower his bed and wheel him around with your resident.

bakugou blushes profusely, forgets how to breathe and how to speak. “s-shut up,” he stutters.

because you still don’t know how much of his heart you hold in your practiced hands.

[mermaidgirl30]

✨Javi’s Playground✨

A/N: Ahhh I’ve been wanting to write a Javi one shot for a while, and I finally got the inspiration after listening to “Sex & Candy” by Marcy Playground. Thank you to @mountainsandmayhem for helping me come up with a name and beta read so I didn’t chicken out and not post 😘 This is my first time writing Javi, so I’d like as much feedback as I can get 🥰 I tried my best with the Spanish translations.

Summary: Javi decides to blow off some steam at the strip club, but he doesn’t intend to attempt to take one of the dancers home with him.

Pairing: Javier Pena x fem! reader

Word Count: 3.2k

Rating: Explicit (18+ MDNI)

Tags: smut, flirting, Javi goes to a strip club, alcohol, smoking, unprotected p in v, oral, Narcos era, reader is a stripper, reader has long hair, switching POVs, some Spanish (translations at bottom of doc)

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

The glow of the amber lights swirl above his head as a crystal disco ball spins slowly, throwing its sparkly essence into the crowded strip club. This isn’t his normal place, Paradise Cove. It’s only a distraction, a secret alcove to let go of any thoughts of drug lords, innocent bloodshed, Pablo Escobar, or any traces of misery he’s been holding on to over the past treacherous year. This was a place for forgetting, relaxing the mind, indulging in mere fantasies he could only wish to grasp his torn hands around. So he’d drink, smoke, and indulge in beautiful women in peace on this lonely Friday evening. 

   The red walls are smeared with flecks of sparkles, and the atmosphere is bursting with energy and dim lighting. The cool glass of amber whiskey sits in his hand as he gulps down another swig, letting the burn coat his insides as he flicks the small lighter and lights up another Marlboro cigarette. He lets the smoke surround him, fogging his vision as he inhales the nicotine and lets it sit there dwindling around him in a blur. Just for a couple of seconds, just enough to take the edge off of his growing migraine. 

   He throws his head back and exhales, blowing the smoke out as the music changes over to a tune he knows. “Sex & Candy” by Marcy Playground starts to play from the blaring speakers, the song slowly slipping through his ears as he sits up just a little straighter in the black leather chair. 

   The crowd hollers when the next girl takes the stage, low whistles reverberating off the side mahogany tables as the volume of the music picks up. He doesn’t realize what they’re all making a fuss about until he looks up and sees you. The most beautiful girl he’s ever seen. Esplendida. 

   You’re so radiant, the way you strut across the stage in your crystal clear stiletto high heels as you spin in slow motion, running your fingers through your thick, long curls as you look over your shoulder and flirt with the crowd. Your legs are so long, the curve of your thighs begging to be touched as you sway your hips side to side and get lost in the song.

   And then there she was, in platform double suede. Yeah, there she was. Like disco lemonade.

   He can’t help but grip the damp glass in his hands a little too tight as he spreads his legs wide and relaxes into the plush leather, his eyes glued to you as you slide down the pole gracefully. He wets his lips as his tongue glides across his bottom lip, his cigarette burning his flared nostrils as he oogles the way you please the crowd with every single move you make across the reflective stage. 

   He watches the way you push the swell of your breasts up with your delicate hands, eyes the tiny black lingerie set that barely covers your porcelain skin, assesses the way the lacy thong skims across the curve of your hips, and nearly drowns on his sip of bubbling whiskey as you bend down and show off the thick globes of your ass. 

   Javi sets the half empty glass of alcohol down beside him on the little sturdy table and grabs his denim clad knee as he sinks his nails into the fabric, trying to hold himself together as he listens to the track play through the massive club, watching the way you keep turning and finding his searing gaze. 

   I smell sex and candy here. Who’s that lounging in my chair? Who’s that casting devious stares in my direction? Mama, this surely is a dream. 

   His brown eyes blow wide every time you turn and wink his way, casually flirting as you flip your hair and bite your lower lip, sending him spiraling as he feels the blood rush to his cock in his tight jeans, feeling just how hard he is now as his thick cock presses into the metal of the zipper. It’s like you know what you’re doing, sparkling eyes penetrating his gaze as you flirtatiously bat your long mascara coated eyelashes and eye fuck him from the glowing stage, making sure he’s getting exactly what he came her for. To feel good, to indulge in his fantasies, to make him think you want him. But customers don’t get to take strippers home. That’s not how this business works, not how it’s supposed to run, unless… 

   You slide slowly down the metal pole, ending up on the floor of the lit up stage as you spread your legs wide and tease him just a little as you play with the straps of your panties and press your heels into the floor, giving him a view that just about takes him out. He leans his elbows against his knees, rakes a hand through his thick mustache as he groans into the palm of his hand while sweat sticks to his tanned forehead. 

   He loves the view that’s on display, loves the outline of your pussy as he swears he can see wetness pooling there in between your legs while you sit there and tease him with the biggest smirk on your face he’s ever seen in his life. Those red, plump lips, those glistening thighs that deserve to be kissed, that pulsing core that begs to be lapped up. He can see it now, you splayed out on his bed while he fucks you deep, bottoming out as you scream his name, claw at his tanned skin as you beg for more. He’d take care of you. God he would. And fuck does he want to. Desesperadamente. 

   He can feel the precum sliding against his thick length, can feel just how badly he wants to palm himself through his tight denim as he watches you fall apart on the stage before him. At this point he has no restraint, can barely sit here and watch as you start to crawl on your hands and knees toward him, hypnotizing eyes that lock on his as he leans forward and unfastens the black tie that clings to his button-up white collared shirt. 

   His eyebrows furrow, lips parting unbelievably as you curl your finger and beckon him to come to the side of the stage, your gaze flicking over his figure as he prays you don’t see the erection that’s begging for some kind of release that’d involve hands, or maybe a mouth, a warm tongue…

   He takes another drag of the sweet nicotine and pushes himself out of the leather chair, slowly trudging up to you as he lets his eyes trail generously over your perfect body. When he finally makes it over to the end of the glossy stage, he sees just how beautiful your eyes really are, eyes that were just eye fucking him seconds ago, eyes he’d love to gaze into while he cants his hips against yours roughly. Eyes he could lost in, swim in.

   You smirk his way, letting your hands run through your tousled curls as you flutter thick eyelashes up at him. He digs into the pit of his denim pocket and pulls out a crisp twenty dollar bill as he cautiously slides it inside the lace of your push-up bra, his fingertips grazing the edge of one of your perky breasts as he groans in response. Your skin is so soft, he thinks what you have underneath the lace will be even softer, divine, delicious. 

   You bite your bottom lip flirtatiously and play with the end of his loose tie, letting the silk slip through your fingertips as he watches in a blissed out daze. You could’ve chosen anyone to target, could’ve had attention from any of the sleazy men in this nightclub, but you chose him. The one with the flecks of honey eyes, the one that couldn’t keep his eyes off you for one second, the handsome stranger who must’ve been new to this place. 

   “You new here?” you ask curiously as you eye his stance, watching the way his eyes seem to light with burning fire every time he even dares to look your way. 

   “Been here once or twice before, but this is the first time I’m seeing you, hermosa.” He lets his dark eyes slide down your body, a smirk curling across his plush lips as he leans in closer, until you can smell the tinge of nicotine lacing through his taste buds. “You sure look good up on that stage, amar. Prettiest thing I’ve seen in a city like San Francisco.”

   “Oh? You like what you see?” you blush as you hang your legs off the end of the stage, just enough to brush his thighs as you feel how strong they are. 

   “Oh, I like what I see alright. Jodidamente perfecta.”

   You feel your cheeks burn bright red, feel your thighs clench up as you see how thick his fingers are, how dark and ravenous his eyes look, how hard he is underneath the fabric of his tight jeans. You don’t ever get this wound up about customers, but something about well dressed, smoldering men makes you want to lose all dignity and throw yourself at him. He must be so good in bed. With the way he’s staring at you, all hot and bothered, he may as well just carry you out of this club. Even if it’s technically against the rules. 

   “What’s your name, handsome?” you ask as you brush your heels against the side of his ankles and watch him tense up under your touch. 

   “Javier. Just call me Javi for short, though. And yours, hermosa?” You tell him your name, your real name, not your stripper name, even if that’s against the rules, too. You clearly don’t care about any fucking rules at this point. 

   “Ahh, that’s a gorgeous name. Telling me your real name, yeah? Aren’t you a little rule breaker,” he teases as he cocks up a thick eyebrow and slides his thumb over his lips as he brushes against his thick mustache. You wonder what it’d feel like with his mouth covering your core, his mustache brushing over your swollen clit as he licks and licks until you come apart on his large tongue. 

   You pull yourself out of ridiculous wet fantasies and watch the smoke fall off his tongue. “I live to break rules,” you tease as you pull him closer, catching the end of his black tie as he’s so close now that you can see the embers of brown flecks scatter across his dark eyes. He’s so handsome, you think you want to go home with him. 

   “That right, hermosa?” he asks as he takes another long drag of his cigarette and blows the smoke away from your face as that smug smirk still encases his playful teasing. 

   “That’s right,” you giggle as you gently curl your fingers over the wrist that holds the burning cigarette. 

   He watches you carefully, eyes full of trouble as he puffs out a breath and fills your nostrils with the stench of whiskey and nicotine. “What do you say, hermosa? Wanna take a tour of my bedroom tonight?”

   You carefully snag his lit cigarette from his outstretched hand and slide it in between your crimson lips, taking a slow drag of the cigarette as he watches you with dark, wide eyes and parted lips that shine with the gleam of amber colored whiskey. You gently blow out the smoke in his face and lean forward as you wrap your manicured fingers around his loosened tie. “You can give me money, yes, but what else? I have plenty of money. What is it that you want, handsome?”

   He grabs the cigarette from your open hand and takes a whiff of the nicotine, letting it blow right back into your face as you smell whiskey, smoke, and trouble fill your lungs.

   “Te deseo…” He says it slowly, meticulously like it’s the most sensual thing he’s ever said to a woman before. You don’t know what it means, but it damn sure sounds like you need to say yes. 

   Your eyebrows raise as you smile wide his way. “I don’t speak Spanish, handsome. But I think I want to say yes. Wanna indulge me in what exactly it is you want?”

   He takes another slow drag of his cigarette as he smirks your way. “I want you, hermosa. In my bed, underneath my body, so I can fuck you fast and hard. Wanna rip off that lace and devour your sweet pussy until I have you coming apart on my tongue. Wanna make love to the beauty that stole my heart away tonight.”

   Your breath hitches as you gasp out of breath, not realizing you clutched onto his leather belt and clenched your sticky thighs together as slick pools warmly in your lace. You should’ve known he was a handsome menace the first moment you saw him sitting there with his glass of cold whiskey and lit up cigarette. You should’ve fucking guessed. 

   His body is now too close to yours, chest pressed against yours as you stand shakily off the stage and feel just how bad he wants you through the fabric of his tight jeans. You can see that way his dark eyes flick over yours, feel the heavy breaths coming from his broad chest, smell the stench of trouble and nicotine lacing around your wrists as he slowly grabs a strand of hair and whispers your name into the shell of your ear. 

   It’s almost too much, almost enough to get you fired right on the spot until the music suddenly changes to a Rhianna song, signaling it was time for the next dancer to come out. You abruptly pull away from him as you feel the tension sit thick in the air, almost like a fog takes over and you can’t see anything clearly anymore. 

   It’s your time to go, to mingle with other clients, and he knows that, you can see it in the understanding of those big chocolate eyes that stare adamantly at you. You give him a flirtatious wave and brush up against his large arm as you whisper up to him, “I get off in an hour. Meet me in the back.”

   He watches you saunter off, half smiling as he realizes he got the girl. He never misses, almost never gets turned down, but this one he might want to see again. He can already tell he’ll want you to stick around, maybe even make you his. Maybe he won’t have to walk this lonely, overbearing life alone anymore. Maybe…. just maybe you’ll stay. Maybe he’ll let you stay. Maybe for a night, a month, a year, forever. 

   The smell of sweat covered bodies, vanilla scents of sensual movements and whiskey clad tongues fill the room as you move at a slow, passionate pace. His meaty hands and smooth tongue are everywhere, sliding down your neck, pulling your pebbled nipples into his warm mouth, and lapping thoroughly at the slick between your sticky thighs. 

   Your moans come in sync. Elated, deafening, ravenous every time he licks a thick stripe over your dripping core. He groans each time you rake your fingers through his mess of dark locks, your pleasurable moans filling the room every time he pulls your puffy clit into his mouth as his thick fingers curl up into the spongy walls that make you see blinding stars in your vision. He doesn’t stop even after the first time you come for him, spilling all your pent up slick as he laps up every single drop between your thighs. 

   He pulls out another mind blowing orgasm with his experienced tongue alone, and he doesn’t even give you a minute to breathe before he’s splitting you in two with the slick cock that fills you to the brim, bottoming out in you time and time again until you feel him everywhere in your system, like the nicotine and whiskey that fill his lungs night after lonely night. He licks into your mouth, his smooth tongue dancing along with yours until you can’t taste anything but the tang of neat whiskey and toxic nicotine that bleed into your bloodstream, tasting like sweet addiction and danger, a lover in disguise. 

   You’re already close again, almost spilling yourself around his thick cock as he bends your knees back and folds you like an acrobatic so you can feel him deep, rough every single time he snaps his hips against yours and buries his face into your neck with furrowed eyebrows as he sucks and bites against the base of your neck. 

   “Come for me again, hermosa. There you go, such a good fucking girl. Let me feel you again. Squeezing so tight around my fucking cock,” he growls as he guides his thumb down to your clit and starts to circle nice and slow, the pressure building in your spine as you start to let go. 

   “Javi,” you moan as you scratch your long nails down his bare back, clawing at his tanned skin every time he guides his slick cocks inside you, reaching that spongy spot that makes you plead and moan with every thrust of his hips. 

   “Attagirl, hermosa. Tan encantadora,” he pants as sweat covers his glistening forehead. Once, twice, three more tight circles on your bundle of nerves and you’re squeezing his cock, spilling yourself all over him as you moan loudly into his ear as he comes seconds after, throwing his head back as he groans with pleasure as thick ropes of white come paint your insides. 

   He topples over next to you in the damp, twisted sheets and pulls you against his broad chest while his free hand lights a cigarette up while he gets lost in the thick cloud of nicotine and musty sex. While he sucks on the addictive stick of nicotine, his dark eyes wade over you as his lips graze warmly over your sweat covered forehead. 

   “Did so good for me, hermosa. You wanna stay the night? I can get you all cleaned up in the morning, and we can go for breakfast. Maybe eat you out on the kitchen counter while I make you coffee. What do you say, hermosa?”

   You shift closer against his side, sliding your fingers over his glistening chest as his deep breaths fill the void in the spacious room. You flick your eyes up to him and study him, watching the way he inhales smoke and stares warmly down your way, like he’s in a lucid dream just watching the girl of his dreams. “You mean like… you want to keep seeing me? This wasn’t a one time thing?”

   His jaw goes slack as his lips parts open, putting the burning cigarette out on the pale blue ash tray on the edge of his mahogany nightstand. “That’s right, hermosa. A sweet, beautiful, gorgeous girl like you deserves more, and I want to give you that. If you’ll let me.”

   You take in his offer, your fingers threading through his as you crawl over him and graze your swollen red lips against his. “Okay then, Javi. Show me your world.”

   He cups the back of your neck and brings you down to his lips as he slots his tongue between your lipstick smeared lips, pulling you deep into him as you taste every shade of red he can paint you, coating you in desire you’ve only ever dreamed of. 

   He tasted like sex and candy, and you were just getting started. 

If you enjoyed this fic, please consider reblogging or commenting or leaving me asks 🩷

Spanish Translations:

Hermosa - beautiful

Esplendida - gorgeous

desesperadamente - desperately

jodidamente perfecta - fucking perfect

Tan Encantadora - so lovely

Tags: @keylimebeag @sawymredfox @littlevenicebitch69 @milla-frenchy @aurorawritestoescape

@vivian-pascal @msjarvis @amyispxnk @jasminedragoon @burntheedges

@akah565 @princesatracionera @rav3n-pascal22 @604to647 @pedrostories

@syd-djarin @tuquoquebrute @r3dheadedwitch

[locusfandomtime]

see the fandom has this thing where the hermits are different species and when they’re part animal/mob they’re a hybrid but nobody talks about the even funnier canon lore that they’re all the exact same species. Their species is hermit.

[long post - lots of worldbuilding and speculative biology below]

Jevin looks like a slime, Doc looks like that, most of them look human, but in actuality they’re all just hermits. The only information we have about this is that hermits are shorter than the average player, some references to hobbits, some references to hermits being hardworking, the fact that gem isn’t a hermit and had to wear antlers to pretend to be one, and that’s it.

I love biology and worldbuilding and this is fascinating to me. When you take into account previous seasons and events and throw-away lines this gets even more insane. Grian and Hypno are acknowledged to not have mouths (and even more hermits don’t have them on their skin). Mumbo turned into a potato. Cleo had snake hair at one point. There are a million other weird things I’m forgetting. You could handwave some of this with an explanation like “hermits are shapeshifters” or “hermits are gods” and that is a very valid and fun take but I think it is SO much funnier if these are just normal things that happen in the hermit species, which aren’t fantastical at all and are adaptations with elaborate mechanics and explanations.

Perhaps hermits, similar to bugs, regularly shed their skin (or a process similar to it) and change their appearance. Some insects change colours/appearance due to their environment rather than genetics, ie macleays spectre stick insects can turn lichen colours when raised around lichen. Maybe the hermits shed their skins on a regular basis, including during their adult life, and this allows them to better match their environment- causing physical changes related to what they have been exposed to. This causes potato Mumbo and medusa Cleo and DM Tango and any other example of a specific skin change. For more constant differences in appearance - maybe life cycles could be considered?

this may be the weirdest thing I’ve ever made. For those that don’t know, “n” is the number of chromosomes, where n is the haploid number, so 2n is diploid. Diploid cells are necessary for sexual reproduction. Of course, a lot of these life cycles are centered around reproduction, as is the nature of a life cycle, but in reality the hermits are in no rush and are happy to stay at whatever point of the life cycle they’re at, this is just an outline of the species’ mechanics.

I mean, most of this diagram is conjecture… but I think it is interesting to consider! Jevin especially reminded me a lot of slime mould life cycles so this is heavily inspired off that, but also inspired by bug life cycles as well.

If you want to get even more indepth we can consider the gender roles of hermit society (remember that clip where Grian implied builders were housewives and redstoners were breadwinning husbands?). Perhaps we can get meta and consider respawn an aspect of being a hermit as well - are they able to regenerate after death? What is Cleo’s place in all this, being undead? Is arm thickness, where your arm can either be 3px or 4px wide, an example of sexual dimorphism?

but. well. tldr: the hermits being one species is a very fun idea we should be doing more with, i think

[discokicks]

BAD IDEAS (ON THE SAME PAGE) — JAMIE TARTT

a fic inspired by bad idea right by olivia rodrigo!

masterlist! song inspo! AO3!

pairing: jamie tartt x fem!reader (no use of y/n!)

summary: football star jamie tartt is an asshole. he’s the one ex of yours that your friends always hated, one that you now all joke about, and one you haven’t spoken to in four years. however, after a chance encounter, the two of you reconnect, and he leaves you with his new number and a hundred questions about his reformed personality. but seeing him tonight would be a bad idea, right?

word count & rating: 11k (wowza), M! (18+! minors get away or i’ll narc on you to your guardians)

warnings: SMUUUUUUT, porn with plot, lots of suggestive language, oral sex (f receiving), fingering, sprinkling of a handjob, unprotected p in v (wrap it up kids), angst, mentions of alcohol, probable secondhand embarrassment, exes reuniting (it needs a warning sometimes), jamie tartt was an asshole and is now just a prick (in the best way possible), reader is a physio, major fluff, and swearing. also reader is american (bc the author is too. sorry </3)

authors note: well. i wrote it. olivia wrote this song for teenage girls in their twenties (me) only and i immediately thought of this fic the second i heard it. i'm calling this an exercise in smut writing before i embark on my aces (my roy kent series for my new friends) eventual-smut-adventure, so this evolved into something i wasn’t expecting but i had so much fucking fun writing it. god, i love jamie tartt. also! this is my first smut fic at this type of level, so go easy on me. hope you all enjoy. love you all tons! -mags

There are two universal truths in life. 

The first is that the coffee shop you frequent on your way to work will and will always have the best cold brew you’ve ever tasted. The second is that Jamie Tartt will and will always be a massive fucking prick, and you’ll never see him again for as long as you live.

These are two things you live by, and while they may seem rather mundane or petty in the grand scheme of things, they are the only truths you can count on these days. Especially when everything else is so up in the air.

However, the universe doesn’t seem to believe in these things as blindly as you do, and this becomes evident the moment that you step into the shop on a gloomy Wednesday morning. Because these two truths (well, they’re fucking bald-faced lies now aren’t they, huh?) are broken within approximately two minutes of each other with seven words.

It began when you greeted Natalia, the barista who was here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before your shift at the clinic with a wide smile. As soon as she saw your face, her expression turned apologetic, albeit a bit dazed.

“You’re gonna hate me,” she says, putting her hands on either side of the register. Your brows shot up at her words. “We just ran out of cold brew.”

Your face falls. “You’re kidding.”

“We were low on it this morning,” she starts to explain, “our stupid night-shifters didn’t prep enough last night. And it’s been selling like crazy today.”

“Seriously?” you nearly whine. “I might cry.”

“I’m sorry, Doc,” she apologizes, but she doesn’t sound too apologetic. Natalia’s eyes keep shifting to your left, the dazed look in her eye never faltering. Then, she says the fated seven words. “But he took the last of it.”

You turn your head in the direction she’s been looking, and your blood runs completely cold. You think you could drop dead and go to hell at this very moment, and it’d be a better existence than what awaits you in the next five minutes. And while this all may sound dramatic, you don’t care. 

You don’t care because Jamie fucking Tartt is standing across from you, newly long hair peeking out from beneath his hood. He’s engrossed in whatever’s on his phone, fingers flying back and forth like he’s texting. 

You think you could run. You’re pretty sure you could successfully make a break for it and leave Natalia high and dry without him seeing you. It’d be an easy exit, and you’d never have to see him again.

But then, as if he can feel your eyes on him, he looks up. And the second he meets your gaze, his face falls in what you can imagine was a similar fashion to yours. 

Fuck.

Luckily, Natalia is none the wiser. She barely notices your expression, and with Jamie by the pick-up area, she can’t see the way he’s looking at you. So, instead of questioning you, she straight-up giggles.

“I know,” she practically squeals. “I was totally going to save you the last of it, but he asked for it. And I mean, c’mon. It’s Jamie Tartt. I couldn’t possibly say no to him.”

You tragically know that feeling all too well. Knowing you probably would have had a snappier, more cutting response to that if you weren’t in the most debilitating phase of shock, you settle for a quiet, “It’s okay.” You nod at her, brushing it off in an attempt to be casual. “I can settle for an espresso today.”

Natalia nods, tapping it into her register. “Same size as usual?”

“Yeah,” you say, not completely sure what you’re agreeing to. You glance over again at Jamie and find that he’s still standing there, staring at you, and you immediately blink away. “That’s fine.”

The rest of the transaction feels as though it takes a millennium and three seconds all at once. You’re still caught off guard by the time Natalia gives you your receipt with a dazed look in your eye that now matches hers. 

However, yours isn’t because you just saw your favorite Richmond player or your favorite reality show villain. It’s because you’ve just seen your ex-boyfriend and you’re about to walk over and stand next to him for a prolonged period of time.

Nothing about this scenario feels real. You hadn’t seen him in four years. Not since things ended as ugly as they had, with him leaving you sobbing outside of a club at three in the morning, letting you know that things were over between you two. And he hadn’t even given you a reason. It was just that he wasn’t ‘feeling’ it anymore.

You saw in a tabloid about three months later that he was now seeing Keeley Jones (yeah, having to compete with that did not sit well with you at all) and had drawn your assumptions from there. Whether or not he’d been seeing her behind your back or had broken up with you to be with her, you didn’t know. You didn’t care. You were in your anger stage of the break-up and only knew one thing.

Jamie Tartt was a massive fucking prick, and you’d sooner walk on a bed of nails before you saw him again.

But now here he was. And there were no nails to be found.

You avoid eye contact as you pass him to wait for your coffee. There’s a piece of you that wants to say hi and play it cool, just to put on a show for him about how unaffected you were by everything that had happened. The other piece of you hopes that not a word is said for your entire time here.

Unfortunately, neither of those happen.

Jamie slides over to be near you, awkwardly rocking back and forth on his heels. His hands are stuffed in his sweatshirt pocket, and you wait for him to say something. Anything. But he doesn’t.

Instead, you can feel the ‘play it cool’ part of you rise up to the surface. You could do this. You could feign indifference. Fuck him, you could be cool.

You glance over at him and see that he’s pressing his lips together, eyes shifting around the coffee shop. It’s crazy how familiar you still are with his tells to know he’s desperately looking for a way to say something. 

You say it for him. “Hi,” you say simply. Cool and unaffected.

It’s as if the one word alone makes him flinch. He clearly wasn’t expecting you to say anything. “Hi—” He clears his throat after his greeting comes out cracked, and he stuffs his hands further in his pockets. “Hey.”

The awkwardness of this moment is killing you, and it’s taking everything in you to pretend like it's not. As you search for something else to say, you land on, “You took my cold brew.”

You can see his brows shoot up out of the corner of your eye. “Oh, fuck, did I?” 

You nod slowly. “Yeah,” you tell him. “I come in here every morning. Friends with the barista. Said she was going to save me the last of it, but…” You trail off and finally look at him. “She couldn’t say no to Jamie Tartt, apparently.”

You want to jump up and down about how well you’re doing right now. Maybe you are over him. Maybe you’ve finally moved past this shit, and seeing him once more is all you needed to solidify that. Maybe—

The second he chuckles softly with an apologetic smile, your confidence in those things shoots down. “I’m sorry,” he says.

“Since when do you drink cold brew, anyway?” you ask, frustrated with the fact that he’s fucking laughing in front of you. “You were always a like, caramel macchiato or frappuccino asshole.”

The names make him laugh harder, shaking his head. “Don’t like those anymore,” he responds. “Sugar hurts me teeth. Tryin’ somethin’ new.”

“Yeah,” you mutter. “My fucking coffee.”

That chuckle continues with a shrug. “I’m sorry.” he says again. Then he pauses. “But it’s not like your name was on it, or anythin’.”

Your face draws blank, and immediately, Jamie can tell he’s made a misstep. And it’s not that you’re angry about the joke, it’s just the… everything. Him. The situation. Everything you can remember that you wonder if he bothers to remember too.

Before you can walk away, you feel his hand on your arm. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he repeats for a third time, turning you so that you’ll look at him. Your pissed-off expression meets his easy smile and it only fuels your anger more. “I was jokin’. I’m sorry I took your coffee. We can get ‘em to put your name on it if you want.”

“Whatever,” you mutter. It’s not the most mature thing you could have said, but frankly, you don’t care. You just want to get your consolation espresso and get the hell out of here. “What are you even doing over here anyway?”

You’re not sure why you ask it. You don’t know why you keep the conversation going. Jamie looks just as surprised as you are. “I moved over here a couple weeks ago,” he answers. “Got sick of the old place.”

“Can’t imagine why,” you reply. By the way that Jamie snorts, you know he recalls just how much you hated his apartment when you knew him. It screamed twenty-two-year-old AFC-money shithead and you would tease him about it constantly. “Was the empty beer bottle sculpture finally giving you mold poisoning?”

He chuckles again. “That came down shortly after we stopped talking.”

“Oh, so I was just lucky enough to see it in its final days?”

“Oi,” he says, pointing at you. “That thing was fuckin’ impressive and you know it.”

“Impressive in a dorm,” you shoot back. “Not a seven million pound flat.”

He bows his head in a guilty manner. “You remember that, huh?”

“Hard not to,” you answer. “You never stopped talking about it.”

He at least has the decency to wince at that one. “I know,” he says earnestly. It makes you look at him. He shrugs once more. “I wanted to impress ya.”

He did impress you. But not with things like that. He’d impress you when you watched him play, he’d impress you when he made you laugh, and he’d impress you on the rare occasion that he’d just be himself in front of you. Not some asshole footballer. Just him.

But you don’t say that. You say, “That wasn’t the way.”

“Yeah,” he chuckles mirthlessly. “Got that now.” He rocks back on his heels again, like he’s not sure if he should say whatever he wants to. “I was a proper fucking dick to you, wasn’t I?”

That almost makes you fall over. Did he just say that? Did he actually just admit that? Out loud, here, for everyone to hear? Accountability? Unprompted? From Jamie Tartt? 

You want to glance around to see if Rod Sterling’s going to emerge from the bathroom to narrate the next couple of minutes of your life, but are too shocked to do so. 

Your surprise must show in your eyes, because Jamie laughs to himself. “Yeah. Wild, innit?” He shakes his head. “On a bit of an apology tour this year. Trying to build back some bridges, or whatever.”

The nod you give him is slow, still reeling from all of this. “Right,” you say lamely. “Building bridges.”

“I’m serious,” he tells you and for a brief moment, you think he may just mean it. The sincerity in his eyes is clear. “I was terrible to you. And I’m sorry.”

Whatever you were expecting when you stepped into this coffee shop on this rainy Wednesday, it certainly wasn’t this. And you certainly weren’t expecting your first time reuniting with him to go this way— with him apologizing to you. The actual words ‘I’m sorry’ just left his mouth. 

You genuinely don’t know who this is. Because it’s certainly not the Jamie you knew.

You saw flashes of this guy. Quiet moments during your short-lived relationship, typically when it was just the two of you. It’s the type of guy you always knew he could be if he tried. The type of guy you pushed him to be. 

(Your friends always taunted you about having the ever-horrendous I-can-fix-him gene, and they never quite let go of it. But it’s not like it wasn’t true.)

Those flashes are why you held out for as long as you did. If it were anyone else, any other asshole who treated you the way he did, you would have dropped them in a second. But he wasn’t like that. Not always, at least.

It was terrible to think like that. You’d been in a low spot when you’d met him and had taken even lower when he left you. You’d recovered tenfold from that and now knew your worth. 

But as he stands in front of you, apologizing, genuinely apologizing, and looking at you like that, you start to question it.

No! the logical part of your brain practically screams. Don’t you fucking dare.

You’re keen to listen to that for the time being. It hardens you. And all you can do is nod at him again. “Well, uh—” Your voice comes out hoarse. You cough awkwardly. “Yeah. You were. Terrible to me. And, uh… thank you. For saying that.”

So much for playing it cool. You want to slam your head up against the wall but hold yourself back from doing so.

He nods at you, opening his mouth to say something else before he’s interrupted by one of the baristas calling your name. His cold brew’s sitting on the counter too, something the two of you clearly missed in the middle of your conversation.

When you reach for your drink, he grabs his too. He’s still staring at you, biting the inside of his cheek like he wants to say something. When you go to move around him, he stops you.

“Look, I just—” You look up at him expectantly, and his shoulders deflate. “I know you probably want nothin' to do with me. But, I just… I want to talk to you.”

Your espresso is hot in your hands. “Well, that sounds like a you problem.”

That’s when he says your name. Your actual name. Not the nickname that everyone calls you, not a pet name that he used to use, he says your name. And it makes you stop in your tracks.

It’s so stupid. It’s so fucking dumb that your fucking name can send you back to the day you first met him and were completely taken with him. You hate it. And you hate the way it makes your walls come crumbling down.

“Please,” he begs. “Can we… Can I at least give you my number? It’s a new one, but I-I think I’ve still got yours. You don’t have to use it if you don’t want to. But just so you can… I don’t know? Think about it?”

You wouldn’t know if he still had your number. You blocked him ages ago. But you doubt it. 

However, the more you think about it, the more you consider it. It’s the product of your resolve falling and well, everything else about him now. You think about it.

If you allowed him to give you his number, the ball would be in your court. You could do what you wanted with it. You could text him, you could tell him to fuck off, you could ignore him. It was up to you. 

And you don’t know if that’s worse or better.

You decide on better. The second you sigh, Jamie knows he’s got you. A wide grin breaks out on his face as you hand him your phone. “I’ll think about it,” you mutter. 

That’s good enough for him. He gives your phone back to you, new number inserted and new contact created. You’re glad he didn’t search for his old one. That one just says ASSHOLE in big capital letters with about a million gun emojis. 

(That was done by your previous roommates in an effort to get you to move on from him. You thought it was a bit overdramatic. You were never one for emojis.)

He’s smiling when he holds his coffee out for you. You stare at him blankly, thinking he’s attempting to cheers you. Instead, he shakes his head and says, “Take it.”

You blink at him. “What?”

“Trade with me,” he clarifies and your expression turns to one of shock. “C’mon. You said it’s yours anyway, right?” When you don’t move he rolls his eyes. “Offer’s only good for another second. Me arm’s getting tired.”

At that, you sigh rather dramatically and grumble to yourself, trying not to act pleased by the gesture. You hand him your coffee and he gives you his. “Thanks,” you say. It was kind of him. 

His grin returns and he nods at you. “Alright,” he says. After a slightly awkward beat, he steps back from you. “It was good to see you, Doc. Really.” You’re taken back by how genuine his voice sounds and say nothing in return. “I’ll talk to you later?”

He says it as a question, hopeful and well-meaning. “Yeah,” you tell him noncommittally. “Maybe.”

That too, is good enough for him. Because he sends you one more smile, then walks out of the coffee shop with your espresso in hand. 

You’re still reeling from the interaction when you glance down at his your cold brew and see Natalia’s handwriting. She’s made it just as you like it, down to the milk and everything.

But below it is a small drawing. It’s a tiny shark fin with a #9 written inside, with little lettering circling around it.

Doo-doo-do-doo-do-do-doo.

You’re fucked.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” is the question that your best friend and former roommate Leah screams at you over drinks at a busy rooftop bar. So busy, in fact, that barely anyone looks over at the two of you.

You’d made the mistake of telling Leah that not only had you run into Jamie on Wednesday, but you’d let him give you his number. 

And you’d texted him after hours of deliberation.

It was something innocent, something you’d thought way too much about, but innocent still. You weren’t sure if you were ready to actually talk to him, but there was something about texting him that wasn’t so scary. Your guard was clearly still up, evident by how dry you were in your messages, and you were keeping your distance. You never texted back too quickly, didn’t ask many questions, and often left him on read. 

(Yeah, you’d turned your read receipts on for him. What about it?)

Your first text was a simple enough question, something that you’d been genuinely wondering about since you saw him. It was open enough for a conversation but not too forward. how’d you know my coffee order?

His response came in minutes later. Is that yours? Good taste. It was shortly followed up with, That espresso you drink was fucking disgusting though.

And that was that. That was how you started texting your ex again. That’s how you reconnected yourself with Jamie Tartt. That’s how you knew it was over for you.

And that’s how you’re pretty sure you’re about to kill your best friend.

Leah’s eyes were wild, somehow angry yet still disbelieving yet intrigued. But the intrigue was very minimal. Very minimal. It was hidden well by how pissed off she was at you.

She had every right to be pissed at you. She was the one who always warned you about him. She’d straight-up nursed you back to health when you broke up. She was the one who had to hear about him 24 hours a day until you were finally over him.

Leah had had a year of peace. And now you were killing her for good.

“You’re kidding, right?” she follows up with. Her grip on your arm is tight. “Please tell me your kidding.”

“Leah…” Your voice is weak.

It tells her everything she needs to know. “Oh, my God! Oh, my. God.” She puts her face in her hands. “You’re insane. You’re fucking losing it and we need to have you checked out right now.”

“I’m completely sentient and in control of my own body.”

“Are you sure?”

You sip at your cocktail. “I reset a knee today. I’m pretty sure.”

“I think you might need to reconsider,” she says. “Because you just told me that not only are you talking to Jamie Tartt again, but you were the one who instigated it!”

You deserve this verbal beatdown and you know it. But all you can do is shrug. “Technically, he gave me his number. He’s the one who instigated it.”

“I’m gonna throw my fucking drink in your face,” Leah threatens, gripping her glass in warning. 

You roll your eyes at her. “Nothing’s gonna happen,” you say, even though you know you’re probably lying. Leah knows this too. “We’ve just been texting a little. It’s nothing serious.”

“Yeah, sure,” she deadpans. “Right. And even if I did believe you, what happens if it does? What happens if you get back in your weird, scary Jamie phase and he kills you again? I can’t deal with that.”

“That’s not going to happen,” you assure her, and this time it’s more confident. Because you know you won’t. Not this time. Not if anything happens.

You’d met Jamie when you were twenty-two. You were in your first year of your Masters program, slightly lost as in your move to London to finish your journey to become a physical therapist. Or a physio, as they called it here. Whatever. You couldn’t keep up with the names. 

You were shadowing a physio at the clinic you now worked at, assisting him as a part of your internship at one of the football tournaments the clinic worked at. It was a ton of big-wig footballers, some names you recognized, others you didn’t. But it didn’t matter. They were precious fucking cargo and you were so paranoid about screwing up that you barely registered who they were when you worked on them.

That was, until a twenty-two-year-old Jamie Tartt sprained his ankle and plopped himself down on your doctor’s bench. He looked at you, you assisted him, and you were wrapped up in what you were doing that you didn’t even notice he was flirting with you. 

You didn’t realize until he asked you out. And the rest was history, for better or for worse.

You were surprised he went for you. You knew who Jamie was, what type of girls he liked to be seen with. They were singers and models and actresses. They weren’t you. 

(Perhaps that’s one of the reasons you liked him so much. Because he chose you. You didn’t like to think about that phase of your life.) 

But after six months of seeing him, he ended things out of nowhere. Right when you’d settled on the idea that despite it all, you might be in love with him. And that was that.

You hadn’t seen him since. Not until this week.

“Not gonna happen my ass,” Leah scoffs, bringing you back into the conversation at hand.

A sigh of frustration leaves your lips. “Listen, I know it’s a bad idea;” you tell her. “I know it is. But, I don’t know. There was something different about him, Leah. He was just… like not someone I recognized.”

“Maybe because his hair is fucking long and stupid now.” She brings her glass to her lips. “His highlights look horrendous.”

“I actually like his hair like this,” you admit, earning yet another eye roll. “Listen. I’m not saying he’s changed. He probably hasn’t. But I…” You trail off with a shrug. “I don’t know. What if he has?”

Leah’s looking at you like you’re the dumbest person she’s ever met in her life. “Are you hearing yourself right now?” she asks incredulously. “Babe, he was a prick to you. Like, category-five, prestige-level twat. Like, worst boyfriend you’ve ever had.”

“I know,” you repeat. “And I said nothing’s going to happen. But if it does, and it goes south, I give you full permission to say I-told-you-so for the rest of my life, alright?”

Leah bites the inside of her cheek, shaking her head. “Whatever,” she says. After a moment, she glances over at you. “I’m just looking out for you, y’know. I don’t want to see you hurt again. And I definitely don’t want him to be the reason for that hurt again.”

You grab her hand. “I know,” you say once more. “And I love you for it. But if I’m gonna be stupid, I’m fully aware of when I’m gonna do it. And it’s gonna be my own fault.”

There’s a moment of silence between the two of you before Leah nods. “Okay,” she finally says. “Okay. Fine. Your fucking funeral.”

“I’ll let you give the eulogy and allow you to call me a dumb bitch for ten minutes straight.”

“Sold,” Leah says, pointing at you. That slight intrigue you previously saw in her eye returns. “Okay, now that I’ve yelled at you, you need to tell me everything.”

And so you do. You tell her how he took your coffee, how you nearly threw up the second you saw him, how you played it cool until you didn’t. How he apologized to you. Joked around with you. Apologized some more. And then he gave you his coffee. 

You despise how excited you sound about it. Again, you’re trying to play it cool, but the people that know you the best can always see right through you. You’re excited about it. Excited about him.

It’s a bad idea to be excited about him.

It’s a bad idea to look down at your phone after you and Leah order another drink. Your heart stops when you see he’s texted you. 

It’s a bad idea to open the message when Leah excuses herself to go to the bathroom. What are you up to tonight? 

It’s past midnight on a Saturday and he’s texting you. It’s still preseason for him, so he might be drunk, he may not be. You’re three drinks deep and aren’t sure if you are.

It’s a bad idea to respond to him. getting drinks with a friend. You keep it dry.

It’s a bad idea to not look down at your phone until you finish the drinks you ordered. Because now, you’re definitely drunk and looking at it all with new eyes. 

Would you want to hang out tonight? No pressure.

It’s a bad idea to consider it. 

But it’s a worse idea to agree.

text me your new address. i can be there by 1:30.

Before you know what you’re doing, you’re knocking on Jamie’s door, intertwining your fingers together when you realize you’re shaking.

The second you do it, you regret it. You’re no longer feeling the effects of your drinks. It wore off on the Uber ride over here. And everything seems like a terrible idea now.

God, what were you doing? He treated you like that and the second you see him again, you go running back? He was an asshole. He’d made you question everything about yourself, he’d made you cry, he’d made you experience every fucking emotion in the book and all it took is one text for you to be back on his doorstep?

Your roommate was right. This was a horrendous idea and you were an idiot.

However, none of that matters. It doesn’t matter because Jamie Tartt’s opening his door and he’s got a stupid fucking smile on his face. And the second you see it, you know there’s no turning back.

“Hey,” he says as he opens the door. “You alright, love?”

You clench your jaw at the name, at his smile, about how casual he’s being, about everything. “Hey,” you say, avoiding his eyes to look around his flat. 

It’s a complete 180 from what he had when he first joined Richmond and what he had when you knew him. It’s a bit less mojo-dojo-casa-house-looking and something more mature. While you can still tell that a twenty-something guy definitely lives here, it’s decorated well, it’s put together, and it’s clean. No beer bottle sculptures in sight. He’s even got a fucking candle burning on his counter. Who the fuck is this and what did he do with the guy you knew?

Jamie follows you as you enter, wiping his hands on his sweatpants. “You find the place okay?”

His question snaps you out of your flat-induced haze. “Yeah,” you reply. You clear your throat. “This is nice.”

That same, stupid smile returns, but it looks a bit nervous. “Yeah. I told you it was a bit different, huh?” he chuckles. He walks toward his island, rounding it as he speaks. “Needed a fresh start or whatever. The old one was gettin’... old.” He watches you as you nod, continuing to look around. “You still in the same place with the same people?”

“Uh, no. Different place. No people,” you answer. You’ve stayed on your side of the counter, actively keeping your distance. “Willa moved to New York last year and Leah moved with her boyfriend. We live in the same building, though, which is nice.”

The small talk is fucking killing you. You’re not even sure if he cared to remember your previous roommates' names, so this all could be pointless. You can’t believe you’re here. You can’t believe you’re actually standing here, talking to him about the past. 

But as you finish speaking, he nods like he’s listening. Maybe he is listening. Maybe he does remember. 

“I’ll have to see that sometime,” he ends up saying, and the implication of it makes your head spin. He wants to see you again. Or he just learned small talk common courtesy. Whatever it is, it’s driving you insane. You have so many questions for him, so many things to say, and as he wipes his hands on his pants again and nods over to his kitchen, he asks, “Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got—”

“Why did you invite me here, Jamie?” The question comes spilling out of you, rushed as if it were waiting on the tip of your tongue and simply couldn’t stand to stay in any longer. Jamie stops in his tracks to blink at you. The look on his face encourages you to go on. “I mean, I know I texted you first. But why… why did you text me tonight? Why’d you—” You grimace, trying to find the right words. “Why’d you give me your number?”

He’s silent for a moment. Thinking. Evaluating. But his eyes haven’t left you. “Because I wanted you here,” he finally says. You cross your arms over your chest as he takes a step toward you. “Because I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I saw you.”

You want to say that you’ve been driven crazy all week because you feel same, but decide against it. Instead, you look away from him and scoff. “Right.”

“I’m serious,” he tells you, and your heart stops with every step he takes. “I felt like I was goin’ insane. I didn’t…” For a flash of a second, he looks shy. “I didn’t think I’d see you again. And I didn’t think you’d actually text me. I mean, I hoped you would, but…”

He’s right in front of you, but you still refuse to look at him. Your gaze has shifted to the floor. “I shouldn’t have,” you mutter.

The asshole has the nerve to chuckle, but it’s nervous. Your stomach churns. You’re not sure if you’ve ever heard him nervous. “No, you probably shouldn’t have,” he agrees. “I don’t deserve it.” He pauses and your throat starts to tighten. “I didn’t deserve you.”

That makes you look at him. Either he’s actually apologetic about everything, or he’s gotten really good at knowing everything you want to hear. “No. You didn’t.”

His fingers tentatively brush your arm and you allow him to take your hand. “I know,” he says. “I was a fucking prick. I get that now. I should never have… done that shit to ya.” You’re close enough to him now that if you moved an inch, his forehead would be up against yours. He brings your hand up to his mouth, pressing a feather-light kiss to the back of it. The action makes your throat tighten. “And I can’t fix it. But I…” He trails off again and looks you dead in the eye once he has the words. “I want to make it up to you.”

Your resolve is getting weaker and you hate yourself for it. You lean back against the counter, like that will put space between you two. “Jamie…”

“Please,” he whispers. His forehead finally meets yours. You can feel his breath on your lips. You don’t pull away. “Let me make it up to you.”

The last front you have standing weakly presents itself. “If you think,” you begin, breath shuddering as his hand meets your neck, “that one 2 AM hookup is going to make up for what you did, I—”

“I know it won’t,” he says, and it sounds like he does know. “But I want it to be a start.” The fingers on your neck are now tracing your jaw. And they tighten when he says, “Let me show you just how sorry I am, yeah? Let me make it fucking good for you.”

Jesus fucking Christ. That last front dissolves the second he says that, and your logic flips on itself. You came over here for a reason. You knew what this was. At least you got an overdue apology. Whether or not he meant it, is still up in the air, but if he’s promising things like that, then you might as well get something out of it.

You struggle to get a word out, so you nod against his hand. “O-Okay,” you finally stammer out. The way he’s looking at you gives you enough confidence to say, “Fine. Make it up to me.”

Jamie’s lips curl into a smirk and say, “As you wish,” before they’re on yours.

He’s softer than you remember. His lips aren’t chapped, he isn’t as aggressive with it, and he isn’t as rushed. Everything about him feels more mature and you struggle to understand how fast he could have changed in four years. But you’re not complaining. Not when he’s kissing you like this, with more practice and passion than you can ever recall.

His hand unlocks from yours to slide it up your sweatshirt, and it’s surprisingly warm against your back. Still, you shiver from the contact and you can feel him smirk once more against your lips. 

The action alone prompts you to fork a hand in his hair and tug at it slightly, reveling in the soft sound that escapes him. Everything about him comes back to you at once, and you’ve never been happier to know that the same things still get him. If he wants to play it like that, you can keep up.

His hands drop to grab your thighs and lift you onto the counter, breaking the kiss momentarily. Your chest is heaving up and down, lips swollen and wet. Jamie appears to be in the same boat. “Fuck,” he whispers, sounding even more out of breath than you. He dips his head to press a kiss to your neck, nose rubbing against it as he makes his way down. “You look fucking gorgeous, by the way. Meant to tell you that at the shop.”

You’re too caught up in it all to play it cool, especially as he works at that one spot on your neck. “You look— fuck, you look good too. The long hair suits you.”

You feel him grin against your neck. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you agree breathily. “Looked like a prick with the old cut.”

You feel his teeth dig into your skin at that one, and you hiss. “You liked that prick,” he reminds you.

You were in love with that prick, but you ignore that thought. “I liked a lot of things about him,” you respond. While it’s honest, the accidental double meaning of it isn’t lost on you.

It’s certainly not lost on Jamie. “Yeah?” he asks again. He lifts his head to look at you, hand creeping up your leg. “What’d you like?” You grip his arm as it rises beneath your sweatshirt once more. “C’mon love. Tell me what you want.”

You hate the way your breath hitches the second his fingers meet your back. You know what you want. You want to see what he’s learned since you last had him. What he’s like four years later. What’s changed, what’s stayed the same. But you’re too embarrassed and much too proud to ask.

Instead, you decide to say, much too shyly for your liking, “You know what I want.”

He hums in agreement, other hand creeping dangerously close to the inside of your thigh. “I do, don’t I?” he murmurs. “Bet I know everything ya want. But I wanna hear you say it.”

“Oh my, God,” you say under your breath, frustration creeping into your voice. The asshole fucking laughs at you. “I want you to make good on your promise. This seems far from it.”

“Right, right, I’m sorry,” he tells you. He doesn’t sound sorry at all. “Just making sure we’re still, y’know. On the same page.” He glances at you. “Right?”

You blink at him. You’re not sure you could have been clearer about what page you’re on. But that’s not what surprises you. What surprises you is the seriousness in his eyes. How he’s searching for assurance in yours. And you know that if, for whatever godly reason, you wanted to stop, he’d pull away immediately, despite how worked up he clearly is. 

It's the bare fucking minimum, but it's more than you’re used to getting.

So, you nod. “Yeah,” you say. “Definitely on the same page.” 

The grin he breaks out to is nothing short of breathtaking. “Good.”

“But—” you suddenly say, stopping him from leaning in once more. He freezes beneath your touch, brows furrowing. “This is… This is a one-time thing. You’re…” You trail off to find the word. “You’re apologizing to me. That’s all this is.”

His smile falters, dropping momentarily before returning with a bit less radiance. It’s his turn to nod. “Okay,” he says, fingers now toying with the edge of your sweatshirt. “Gotta make it count, then.”

And with that, Jamie presses his lips back to yours, grabbing you securely and pulling you off the counter. Your legs wrap around his waist, grabbing the sides of his face, like that’ll stable you against him. 

This time, it’s more desperate. It’s more tongues and teeth, more force and intention behind each movement. He’s setting the pace, but you’re keeping up tenfold. While it’d been four years, you’re not sure if he’d ever kissed you like this. He’s passionate instead of aggressive. While he knows what he wants, he’s definitely not just going to take it. He may be leading but he’s listening to you. And that stirs something inside you that you haven’t felt in a long time.

That much is clear, because you unconsciously let out a quiet sound against his lips. You can feel him smiling once more as he walks you slowly to wherever the hell his bedroom is. You’re caught up in him. And by the way he’s gripping you, you can tell he’s just as caught up in you.

So much so, that he completely loses track of where he’s going and accidentally slams you into his doorframe. You yelp, more because of shock than pain, and pull away to glare at him.

Jamie’s already apologizing. “Sorry, sorry,” he says. “Still gettin’ used to this place.”

“Well, figure out how to navigate better,” you respond, verging on a pout as you rub the back of your head.

“I’m sorry!” he repeats. He’s still got you against the doorframe. “It’s hard to see with your big head in me face. And I can’t kiss ya with, like, my eyes open. It’d be freaky.”

“I’ll give you a pass for that one,” you reply dryly. “Be weird instead of giving me a concussion.”

He’s walking you toward the bed when he mutters, “I’ll give you something, alright.”

Your back meets the mattress and you try to ignore the way he held his hand behind your head when he laid you down. You have under a second to adjust before he’s on top of you. The desperation returns and it almost takes your breath away.

He’s essentially straddling you, tugging at the waist of your leggings before he leaves one last kiss on your lips. He finally gets to pull your sweatshirt off, something he’d clearly been dying to rid you of since he first kissed you. You lift your arms up to help him, finding that you quickly start to do the same to him. You hear him chuckle as you attempt to get it up his back.

“I got it, love, hold on,” he says softly, tossing your hoodie to the side to take off his own. Your eyes immediately go to his chest and stomach and you refrain from reaching out to touch him. When you look up at him, you expect him to be smirking. However, he’s doing the exact opposite.

Jamie’s looking down at you like he can’t fucking believe you’re real. It’s jarring, seeing him like this, but you figure he’s in the same headspace as you and is still struggling to process that this is happening. It doesn’t matter, because before you can question it, he’s moving to press a kiss to your collarbone.

Your hand falls into his hair as he works his way down, mouthing the area of your chest. He pauses before he gets to the bra you’re wearing. His eyes flick up to yours. “Can I—”

You’re nodding before he can even get the words out, shifting to make it easier for him. He discards it to the floor with the rest. When he looks back at you, he releases a shaky breath and just stares.

He stares so intently that you begin to get self-conscious. “What?” you ask.

The question takes Jamie out of his trance. He shakes his head. “Nothing,” he says. “I just— I… Fuck. I forgot how beautiful you were.”

That spreads a warmth through you, one that pulls at your core. As you feel your face heat, you realize you have nothing to say to that. Luckily, he’s already moving on.

Jamie’s different. Really different. And you don’t realize how different he is until you start looking at him like you are right now. You were trying to convince yourself when you told Leah that he’d changed, you’ll admit that. But right now, you think you may have been telling the truth.

He grabs the waist of your leggings once more, lifting your legs to pull them off. You can’t help the laugh that leaves your lips as he struggles to do so. He shakes his head with a soft smile. “Missed that.”

“What?” you ask again.

“Your laugh,” he replies. “Missed that more than you know.”

The sweet words hit you like a bullet. The vulnerability in his voice is what gets you. Goddammit, when did he get so fucking nice? It drives you insane. But it also makes you quietly admit, “I think I’ve got an idea.”

With your leggings now gone, Jamie’s smile turns fonder. Gentler. He presses a kiss to your leg but says nothing in response. He simply places your legs down, eyes flicking down. He lifts his hand to trace down your stomach, stopping at the edge of your panties. The feeling makes you flinch.

He hooks a finger in the band, and your hips buck up to encourage him. His other hand spreads across your hip in a poor effort to keep you still. “Easy,” he murmurs. 

You huff out a breath. “You can—” Your breath hitches as two of his fingers push into your underwear. “Fuck, you can take them off.”

His lips quirk up. “Well, thank you for the permission,” he says. “But not yet. I wanna take it slow with ya.”

Your mouth parts. “Why?”

“Because it’s been years since I’ve seen you,” he answers, moving up to kiss you softly. He speaks against your lips as he says, “And I’ve apparently only got one shot to do this right. So I’m gonna make this last.”

You roll your eyes at his terribly disguised jab. “You’re a dick,” you mutter against him.

“And you’re—” He cuts himself off and a gasp escapes your lips as he cups your core and rubs his palm against it. “Fuck, love. You’re really fucking wet.” He’s positioned on you so that you can feel him getting harder against you thigh. “This all for me, yeah?”

His voice is cocky, while still sounding awestruck. The remaining dignity you have left makes you roll your eyes, albeit a bit embarrassed. “It’s for whoever doesn’t take their fucking time to give me what I want,” you bite.

Jamie draws back from you with a full smirk on his face. “That so?” he asks. The hand against you starts creeping up to the band of your panties. “And what is it that you want? You still haven’t told me.”

You scoff. “I told you.”

He pulls your underwear down your legs and the air around you suddenly makes you realize just how exposed you are. You told yourself you’d never give him the satisfaction of seeing you like this again. But here you were.

His fingers brush against the inside of your thigh, and you shiver once more. “No,” he tells you gently. “You didn’t. You just said you wanted me to keep my promise. You didn’t tell me what you wanted.”

He’s moving closer and closer to the place you want him and you don’t know if you can take it anymore. You shift uncomfortably, as if that will cease the ache. But you know only one thing will.

So, you give him the answer he’s been waiting for this entire time. “You.” His gaze meets yours. “I want you, Jamie. Please.”

That breathtaking grin returns. “Just because you asked so nicely.”

And then he puts his mouth on you without warning.

You spasm at the contact, crying out as he uses both arms to hold you still. The second you calm down, one hand leaves your thigh and you feel him work two fingers into you. Fuck. He didn’t know that before.

And it’s not like he was ever bad in bed when you two were together. You’re not sure you would have stayed with him if that were the case. It’s just… he’s better now. He’s hitting everything nearly perfectly, not stumbling like he used to. He’s more confident. More assured. He knows what he’s doing.

And it’s fucking hot.

The sounds that fill his room are downright obscene. He’s gripping one side of you to keep you in place, splitting you open on his knuckles with the other. His mouth zeroes in on your clit, alternating between licking and sucking in a way that honestly has you close already.

“F-fuck,” you breathe. “Fuck, Jamie. Don’t st— shit. Don’t stop. Please.”

Of course, the fucking shit he is, stops. He grins up at you, but continues to slowly pump his fingers in and out. “You sound so fucking pretty begging like that,” he tells you. He’s just as out of breath as you are. He feels you clench around his fingers at the praise and it only eggs him on further. “Look so pretty too. Fucking gorgeous.”

“Jamie,” you whine again. He’s going too slow. Teasing. It’s not fucking fair. He’s supposed to be the one apologizing to you. “I need— Ngh. I need—”

“What do you need?” he asks. “Tell me.”

You think you’d kill him if you weren’t completely incapacitated. “More,” you manage to get out, wincing as he continues at his slow pace. You’re close. Embarrassingly close. “Just fucking more. Please. I’m—” You interrupt yourself with a moan as he shoves his fingers deeper into you.

“I know,” he nearly coos. “I’ve got you.”

And got you he does. Because not only does he pick up the pace, he stretches you with a third finger. The sting of it is momentary, and it subsides as soon as he bends down and swipes your clit with his tongue.

Your back arches. “Jesus fucking— Jamie. Oh, my God.”

He’s good. Of course, he’s fucking good. He’s Jamie Tartt. You’re not sure he’s ever been bad at anything physical in his life. Emotionally was another story. But that story didn’t matter right now. Not when he’s got you like this, and you’re teetering over the edge.

He pulls away from you, breath tickling your core as he speaks. “C’mon,” he chides. “I can feel it. You’re right there, aren’t you, love?” He takes your breathy silence as confirmation and nods to himself. “Yeah. You just need—”

He removes one finger and crooks the rest a certain way, deeper than before. Your heart may stop beating. He’s done something he did to you time and time again, something that he was actually really fucking good at, something he knew you liked years ago. When he looks up at you, he searches your eyes. And by the way they roll back, he knows he’s struck gold.

The smirk returns and he continues to work his fingers into you, smirk growing each time he hears you say his name. “Yeah,” he whispers. “That’s it. That’s still it.”

You could finish at any moment. The telltale heat is rising in your stomach, and you’re just waiting for the cord to snap. And then, as if your muscle memory takes over, you reach out for his arm.

But instead of letting you do it like before, he does something completely different. He intertwines his free hand with the back of yours and guides it to your stomach. And then he presses on your hand.

The pressure builds. You’re barely able to make any noise. And then—

“C’mon,” Jamie repeats. “Come for me, angel. I wanna see it.”

The cord snaps, and you do as you’re told. You come. Hard.

Jamie talks you through it, fingers still moving to coax your climax out of you. You’re sure you look pathetic, crying out and thrashing around in his bed, but you don’t care. You can barely fucking see right now.

It’s been a while for you. Or at least been a while since you’ve had anything that good. And it completely strips away any sort of attitude or frustration you had before.

When you finally come back down, you laugh softly, shaking your head and throwing your arm over your face. “Fuck,” you say through a chuckle.

You feel him shift, moving up the bed to hover over you once more. When he removes your arm from your eyes, you see that he’s smiling. “Nobody’s ever laughed after I’ve done that,” he tells you, a faux pout pulling at his lips. He bends down to press them to yours and you can taste yourself. “It better be a good fuckin’ sign.”

You laugh again, reaching up to cup his cheek and pull him into another kiss. “Very good sign,” you assure him. It’s muffled against him, but you think he gets the point. 

It’s then that you catch him by surprise and flip the two of you over, straddling him in a way that makes him release a breathy sound that you’d missed dearly. But, something feels off.

Your glance down at him, expecting to feel or see fabric once you reach his leg. But there’s not much. Only what feels like boxer shorts. It catches you off guard. When did he take off his—

It doesn’t matter. It’s easier for you now. Especially as your fingers move across his abdomen, biting back a grin at the way he shudders. He looks up at you from his pillow.

“What are you doing?” he asks leadingly.

You shrug innocently, fingers toying with the band hanging low on his hips. “Returning the favor,” you reply. 

Jamie makes a noise of disapproval, placing a hand on your thigh like that’ll stop you. “I’m supposed to be the one making it up to you,” he states, but his voice gets less firm as you cup him through the fabric. “Fuck. Y-You don’t owe me anythin’. No favors.”

You shake your head, pulling at his boxers so that he springs free from inside. Your eyes travel back to his as you reach out and gently grab his cock, staring down at him with a smirk dancing on your lips. “You sure?”

He looks pained. You don’t know why. You’re offering a way to take him out of his misery. But still, he shakes his head and moves his arm from your leg to your back. 

He takes his turn to flip you over next. He swears under his breath as he does so, shaking his head when you land on your back.

“I told you,” he says, taking his boxers all the way off now. “It’s about you. Not me.” He shakes his head again, but this time it’s a bit more frustrated. When he speaks, it’s mostly to himself. “Can’t believe I just fuckin’ said no to that.”

A snort escapes you. “You’re a changed man, Jamie Tartt,” you joke.

He shrugs before placing his arms on either side of you. His voice teeters on teasing and earnest. “I’ve been trying to tell ya that.”

You’re not sure if it’s him, or the situation, or the sex, but you think you believe him. It makes your chest heavy. But you can’t admit that. You won’t let yourself. So, you keep that feeling tucked away, way in the back of your mind for safekeeping. You know it’s better like that. For your emotional sake, at least.

You allow yourself to prop yourself up on your elbow and kiss him instead of responding to that, bringing him in closer. You can feel the length of him press against your stomach, and his groan vibrates against your lips. 

He pulls away, grinding into you. The heat of your body is making him go wild. “Can I—”

You know what he wants. And you want it too. “Please,” you say. 

He nods, moving to angle himself against you. You glance down to watch him, heat flooding your face as he strokes himself before glancing up at you. You nod in return, giving him the confirmation he needs. Jamie grins.

He slides in you slowly. The stretch is mild but grows as he hovers over you once more. It’s easy to adjust, having been warmed up moments before. But for Jamie, it’s not as easy.

He bottoms out almost immediately, tensing over you. His head bows, chin falling to his chest. “Fuck,” he curses. It’s quiet but straight-up sinful. “God, fucking— you’re so—” You grip onto his bicep as he steadies himself. “I’m sorry. It’s just— i-it’s been a minute. And you’re f-fucking tight. Jesus.”

You don’t mind. He feels good like this, despite the fact he’s not moving. Your hand travels from his arm to his hair, tucking a piece of it behind his ear before settling on his jaw. “It’s alright,” you tell him. “We’ve got time.”

Jamie’s eyes snap open at that, but he’s not looking at you like you thought he would. You were expecting a cheeky sort of smile, a smirk, something in that realm. But he’s not. He’s looking at you like…

It’s something you can’t define. Something you’ve never seen before. It churns your stomach yet makes your heart race. Neither of you says a word.

He just dips down to kiss you again and slowly begins to move inside you. Your lips part in a gasp, and he slides his tongue in your mouth. Your back arches into him.

Before you know it, he's breaking from you and is breathing heavy against your neck. “Shit,” he groans. “You’re just— fuck. You…” He trails off, mouth hovering over your collarbone. “You drive me f-fucking mad. God, everything about you. Y-you don’t even know, do you?”

The pace picks up. He’s thrusting into you harder now and your nails dig into his back. You hear him hiss at the contact, but neither of you seem to care. “Fuck.” It’s all you can say. “Fuck, Jamie.”

He’s clearly not done talking. “How’d I-I fuck this up? Huh?” You can’t tell if he’s talking to you or himself. His mouth is on your chest now and the feeling runs through you like fire. “Fucking idiot. Didn’t know what I had. Can’t believe I let you go.”

You clench around him and it throws him off kilter. You watch his jaw clench, hand beside you gripping the pillow you’re on. “You w-were an idiot.” Your agreement is much less effective when it’s closed out by a high-pitched moan.

“I know. Fuck, I know,” he says. “I’m sorry. Deserved better.” He continues to slam into you. “I wanna gi—” A strangled sound erupts from his lips. “Give you better. You’re so—” When he shakes his head, he looks wrecked. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

Something about that sends a shock to your system. It makes you cry out and you can feel it. Your legs tremble around him. You’re close again. You’re really fucking close. 

He kisses you once more, deeper than before. It’s more frantic. Everything about him is more erratic. You can tell he’s getting there too. “Couldn’t stop,” he manages to get out, hot against your lips. “Couldn’t s-stop thinking about you. I missed you.” 

You clench around him again, the admission inching you closer. “Shit,” you say. “Fuck, Jamie, keep going.”

And keep going he does. His hand moves down your stomach, fingers finding your clit. He rubs circles into it and that sends you into a fucking tailspin. He swallows the sound you make. 

“Missed you,” he says again, but it’s more helpless. Jamie fucking whimpers. “God, I f-fucking missed you, angel. Missed you so fucking much, I—”

You don’t hear the rest of what he says because you come the second he makes that sound. It’s white-hot. Blinding. Your legs twitch around him and you claw at him as he continues to rub your clit. You’re loud, but you don’t give a shit. It seems to spur him on.

He’s not far behind you. He spills into you with a groan, stomach flexing as he heaves over you, twitching inside of you. You’re still recovering from your own high as you open your eyes to watch him. You catch his expression for a moment before he’s collapsing into you.

You release a soft ‘oof’ at the sudden weight of him. He doesn’t say anything for a moment and neither do you. You just breathe together. But after a moment you allow yourself to put a hand in his hair.

“You’re fucking heavy,” you tell him, but there’s not much bite in it.

You feel him chuckle. “Give me second,” he says. “Not as fuckin’ agile as I used to be. Took a lot out of me, alright?”

You roll your eyes but continue to run your fingers through his hair. “You’re twenty-six and like, the face of the AFC,” you tell him. “Richmond might have to shorten your contract if you’re dying after that.”

He presses a kiss to your shoulder. “Take that up with me Chairwoman then.”

You can’t help but laugh as you push him off of you, wincing as you feel him slip out. He lands with the same noise you did. “If she heard you complaining like that, she’d be on my side.”

Jamie grins at you, joining in on your laughter. He shifts toward you, grabbing your hand to play with your fingers. “You’re probably right. Shouldn’t be complainin’,” he says. He lifts your hand to his lips. “Not when you’re here.”

They’re sweet words. The casualty of them makes your heart swell. But that anxiety about him returns. One time thing, you tell yourself. Apology. One time. That’s all.

You pull your hand back softly and he glances over at you. There’s a hint of worry in his eyes, like that one movement set off alarm bells in his head. You give him an uneasy smile.

Before you can move to get up or say anything or do something, he’s talking. And you have to refrain from wincing. 

“I know…” He looks away from you. Shy. “I know you said one time,” he says, as if he can read your fucking mind. “And that’s… That’s okay. I get that, yeah? But I—” Jamie wipes a hand down his face, staring at the ceiling. “I meant what I said. I missed ya. Really.”

You missed him too. But your walls have been rising back up since he started talking again. “I don’t know what you want me to do with that,” you tell him, only partially lying.

You feel like an asshole when he winces. Maybe you were being an asshole. Maybe it was finally your turn to do so. 

“Just…” He finally looks at you. “If you ever… don’t want this to be just a one-time thing.” He waves it off in an attempt to look casual. You know he’s anything but. “You’ve got my number. Or whatever.”

The timidness in his voice makes your resolve soften. Even if you don’t see him again, you suppose you can let him down easy. He’s been kind enough tonight to deserve that. You nod at him as you sit up. “Okay,” you say. “I’ll let you know.”

It’s only slightly awkward as you get out of his bed and search for your clothes. He asks if he can call you an Uber home and you reject it, letting him know that you’ve got one on the way.

You can feel his eyes on you as you dress, ignoring the way they burn into you. You can tell he’s searching for something to say, or something to talk to you about but doesn’t know what.

You’re half-dressed before he can shoot himself in the foot and say something stupid. “Hey,” he finally says. You glance over your shoulder at him after you slip your sweatshirt on. “I’m really glad you texted me.”

The nice streak you’re riding on continues and you offer a small but genuine smile in return. “Me too,” you admit, ignoring the way that his own soft smile pulls at your heartstrings. 

Before you leave his room, you offer one more admission. You stop in the doorframe he hit you against, lips curling further upward. “It was really good to see you, Jamie.”

He props himself up on his elbow, smile growing. “Good,” he says, nodding. Then, like a prick, he winks at you. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

You physically cannot stop yourself from rolling your eyes and you hear him laugh to himself as you walkdown his hall. “Goodbye, asshole.”

He shouts a tired-sounding ‘bye!’ when you slip your shoes on, shaking your head as you look around his apartment once more. The candle on his counter is still burning, smelling of amber moss and palo santo.

You blow it out before you leave, knowing he’ll forget.

And as you do so, you feel yourself regress. Or grow. You’re not quite sure which one.

But it makes you curse under your breath and leave his flat immediately.

There is one more universal truth you forgot to mention. 

And that’s that the second you think you’re over Jamie Tartt, he comes back into your life and flips everything on its head. And it’s the only truth that’s been confirmed to you all week.

Because the second you arrive home and see that you have a text waiting for you, your heart picks up. You hate the way you get excited to see it.

I had a really good time tonight.

And the second he comes back into your life, you’re reminded that you’re not over him. Not even in the slightest. And it’s fucking debilitating. 

me too. 

And you know your friends are going to kill you the second you follow up with:

i’m free friday if you want to grab a drink.

[shiny-jr]

how to steal a heart (I)

[ a dummy's guide on how to steal the heart of a poor pathetic man ]

- Warning: Yes, this is still a yandere thing. You have been warned. Female reader. 

- Note: This has been an idea (heavily inspired by Howl's Moving Castle) I had in my docs since fall 2022. I was talking to a mutual about how writing on Tumblr vs Quotev feels very different. If I leave something unfinished on Quotev, I feel incredibly guilty which prevents me from posting new stories. However, on Tumblr, I don't feel as guilty. Not sure why. Anyways, I know most of my followers here don't care for my ocs, and I've been wanting to post this for so long. So instead of posting on Quotev, I'll post it on here just to get rid of the urge to share this story (might delete this later). This is the same story I posted that little screenshot of not too long ago, and that screenshot was basically just the prologue chapter. So yeah. Hope you enjoy?

IN WHICH THERE IS A SEAMSTRESS . . .

Black smoke concealed the window like a thick veil as the walls around her shook. It was a sure sign that the train was inching by. The screech from its whistle and clanking against the railroad tracks, so loud that it must’ve been heard over a mile away, only confirmed her guess. Her hands continued to cut smoothly through the linen fabric, separating enough to fulfill another order placed this morning. As the young woman worked to separate the colors and gather more material, the corner of her eyes caught sight of the smoke concealing her perfect view. 

The train’s fading motion and clanging against the tracks was eventually replaced by chatter just outside her workshop. It all became background noise, as she began to utilize the sewing machine. Lines formed over the cloth, blending it and connecting so they formed an article of clothing. Needles, pins, and scissors cut and dug deep through the cloth. Buttons of all shapes and sizes were neatly organized in little boxes, so she could easily take what she needed. Time just seemed to fly as she worked so quietly and efficiently, oblivious to the hours ticking by. Any other noise fell on deaf ears, even as a knock resounded on the firm wooden door that happened to be wide open already. 

A pause before the person tried again, knocking a little louder again. “(Y/n)?” 

Snapping out of her efficient trance, the tailor snapped to attention and straightened her sitting posture. Gazing at the door and back the window where the sun was much lower than before, it took her a moment to figure out what exactly was going on and what time it was. It was later in the day, and the woman at the door was Dalena… Well, everyone called her Ma Dalena because she was a kind older lady who tended to see the young female tailors as her own children. At least, most of the tailors. 

“We closed up five minutes ago. You can go now.” Ma Dalena gave an encouraging smile that displayed the dimples on her skin, showing signs of age evident by the wrinkles. Judging by her long dress and small woven handbag hanging from her wrist, it was probably safe to assume that she had evening plans. “Why not spend the rest of the day with us?” 

Us. Correct she was again. As welcoming as the invitation was to join Ma Dalena and the other tailors, she wasn’t willing to join them anymore. Not after the first time when she dared to venture with them. After shifts, the tailors had a tradition of going out into town. Not that it was a bad thing. But they used their time cafe hopping, searching for flirtatious men to satisfy their need for affection. Oftentimes, they would get caught up with the pushy kind. And ever since some troops from the military have returned from their duties, well… encountering a bunch of men who hadn’t felt the touch of a woman in months, was not ideal. At least for her. 

Taking her foot off the pedal to pause her work and silence the sewing machine, she pretended to consider the invitation before mustering a polite smile with a shake of her head. “Hm… It sounds nice. But I promised the client I would finish this so they can pick it up tomorrow. So I’ll stay, but have fun. Have another drink in my place, alright?” 

Ma Dalena merely nodded in understanding, her polite smile turning somber as she turned on her two-inch heels and began walking to the front entrance. The chatter of the other tailors ready and eager for the rest of the day off, went quiet as she announced, “We’re leaving now. Hurry now if you’re coming!” 

The chatter resumed, accompanied by the sound of more heels tapping quickly against the wooden floors in an effort for the straying members to catch up with the group. They complimented each other's outfits they spent days making by hand, discussing various fashion trends, gossiping about clients and others in town. 

In a way, she did and she didn’t regret accepting the invitation. It may have been nice to have good company for once, but it never felt right when she was present within their clique. It was as if she were trying to forcefully add a puzzle piece to an already complete puzzle, which is why she stopped forcing it. She wouldn’t want to sit there awkwardly during tea, unsure what to say as they spoke so confidently and loudly. It felt as if she were an imposter, someone trying to disguise themselves to blend in. It was why she worked in a small separate room, away from everyone else. That, and because she was the fastest tailor there. Part of her wondered if Ma Dalena was beginning to dislike her since she turned down invitation after invitation. But how was she to explain what she was feeling, when it would only sound like whining? 

Drowning out her thoughts with work to occupy the space in her mind, she pressed her foot against the pedal and began sewing once more. The loud hum of the machine filled her ears as it worked against the red cloth under her fingertips. This was the way it was supposed to be. Mindlessly spending her waking hours working at a craft she didn’t excel at, but was decent enough to earn wages in. All while wondering what could’ve been, and secretly hoping that maybe soon there is something that can be–– 

“Look! Look out there! It’s Reyes’ temple!” 

“Reyes?!”

“Where? I don’t see it!” 

“There! Over the hill!” 

Now that was something you don’t see everyday. Everyone retreated back to the window, desperate to catch a glimpse, even Ma Dalena. Halting her work once again, (Y/n) too was the tiniest bit curious. 

In truth, magicians failed to interest her, not that she had an opportunity to see them much anyways. But all those in Etére knew to be cautious of two particular magic wielders: La Bruja de Bruez, the Witch of Bruez, and Reyes Ladrón de Corazones, Reyes the Thief of Hearts. The pair were like the local boogeymen, tales of their horrendous deeds spreading and becoming bedtime stories for children in order to scare them into good behavior. 

Ever since her youth, she heard stories of La Bruja de Bruez. It was said that she was a wicked woman who’s lived for over a hundred years. A slight against her is taken seriously, and she curses those she comes across. But she was no mere fairytale. The witch has been a thorn in the country’s side for a long time, as she terrorizes the towns she visits. There hasn’t been much action taken against her, because she’s so powerful that hardly anyone stands a chance and she’s so elusive. Besides, the royal family don’t particularly care if the witch curses a random citizen every month or so, as long as they don’t have to risk pawns in their own arsenal of magicians just to take her down. 

Only a few years ago, a second magician with fearsome spells and a horrible reputation, appeared. Reyes Ladrón de Corazones, or more commonly known as Reyes, was another brujo many feared, although not as much as his counterpart from Bruez. There were rumors, yes, but they were more lighthearted with little evidence to ever back up the claims. While the Bruja de Bruez spared no one, it was said that Reyes chose to pursue only young beautiful women. If you asked around town, half of the population would consider him a threat, while the other half would giggle and whisper about his rumored good looks. Maybe that’s how he lured them in? With charms. Either way, he was a cause for concern. It was said that at a young age after abandoning his position as apprentice under the royal sorceress, the most powerful known magician, he not only challenged her but won and stripped her of her powers. Of course, no one can neither confirm nor deny it, as the king kept a tight lid on the situation and supposedly those who approach Reyes meet a terrible fate. But his abode was proof enough of his sheer strength. It was like a castle, a temple wandering on mechanical legs, rumored to not only be fueled by magic but also made of it.

Through the mist and low hanging clouds, just over the rolling hills on the horizon she could make out the distinct shape of a temple. A magnificent temple that appears so small from so far away. But she knew that it was a beast, a titan wandering the wilderness where very few dared to venture. It prowled around on its mechanical legs, spewing black smoke as the only trail it left behind. Reyes’ moving temple disappeared behind the clouds, seemingly vanishing from sight. Onlookers within the tailor shop could only awe and wonder aloud what the brujo was like, what was true and what was not, their minds creating horrible fears and outlandish fantasies that would take root as rumors. 

Lowering her gaze back to her work, she resumed once more, but the rumors overpowered the hum of her machine until their words reached her. The other tailors proceeded back to the front entrance, marveling about what they just witnessed. Was he hiding from soldiers practicing their flights just outside the town? Did you hear that he literally steals the hearts of women, but only beautiful ones? Someone said that a pretty waitress on the other side of town had her own heart torn out and stolen by Reyes just last week! 

The door was shut and she was alone, left with her work and the noise outside. Swiftly she worked, able to repair tears and wears with ease and create other things. Able to get lost in the work for much longer, until she felt the ground shake and the screech of another whistle. The afternoon train. It’s smoke covering her window once again. It was getting late already. Not wishing to waste the rest of the day by continuing work or go to bed with a book she had already read twice, she switched off the machine and organized all the tools back into their places. Brushing off all stray strings from her dress, she then rearranged her completed work thus far and prepared to have a different kind of day. 

Today, she would try to make it a can be sort of day. Even if it meant just visiting a close friend like Lía at the bakery. Just putting out the effort to go out today was more than she was usually willing. Although wishing it would be something special, a proper can be day without even trying, was like wishing to be acknowledged by a person you admire but never once talked to, it was much like winging it on a test without studying and praying you would get a perfect score even though knowing that it’s almost near impossible. But it isn’t statistically completely impossible, so you cling to that thin shred of hope that’s as taut as a piece of string. 

The whirring of small planes buzzed overhead, the flying machines brandishing their flags like the proud and numerous soldiers. On nearly every home and business, there was the flag hanging over the door, a symbol of patriotism and support of the war effort. (Y/n) quickly crossed the streets and reached the trolley station that would take her further into town. Right now there was not a soldier in sight, but that was sure to change the closer to the center of town she got. She only prayed that there wouldn’t be any trouble with them. 

The trolleys were full, people all going towards the center of town, in the same direction the planes overhead flew towards. If she had to guess, most of the people within the trolley were likely friends or family of returning soldiers. All giddy from the victory high of a major battle just won. 

While watching the scenery go by, she wondered how Lía was fairing. 

It was because of Lía and her family that she now worked in a tailor shop. (Y/n)’s parents had met an unfortunate end while traveling outside the kingdom. They were doctors dedicated to a good cause, determined to stay in dangerous war torn lands to heal and treat the poorest of folks. While she was busy with school and often alone but checked on by family friends, her parents were saving people an ocean away in a faraway land where Milavi’s war had spread. They had been too close to Milavi claimed territory, likely mistaken for doctors healing rebels, and were thus punished for their good deeds. With no one left to turn to, her family’s closest friend, Señor Obregón, adopted (Y/n) and treated her as one of his own. 

Señor Obregón was a quiet but respectable man that spent his time either working or with his family. He was the one that taught her how to sew, knit, and tailor, after she became curious of his skills. There were two other girls, Lía and Cova, a few years younger than (Y/n), which is why she became the oldest sibling. Lía was the beauty admired all throughout their childhood and still beloved to this day. She most resembled her mother, but she wasn’t half as vain. Cova was the youngest and somehow the smartest, as she was able to quickly grasp the concepts from lessons even in (Y/n)’s class, despite being a few grade levels apart. She mostly resembled her father and his own wits. Then there was her, (Y/n), who had… whatever was left. Of course she never held any resentment toward her sisters, since they were always well behaved but perhaps a bit annoying with their squabbles. Lastly, was Señora Obregón, Rosita, who she just called Tia Rosa for short, was never rude or dismissive to her. Tia Rosa was actually very outgoing and talkative, but she was the sort of woman that wouldn’t be caught dead wearing something from last season. She desired the finer things in life and settled for no less, which is probably why Señor Obregón ended up in an early grave due to working himself to death just to try and afford the luxuries his wife craved. 

Immediately after the funeral, while they were still dressed head-to-toe in black and their eyes were puffy from crying, Rosita sat all three of her daughters for a conversation about the future. It would be impossible for her to keep them all in school, especially considering she hadn’t worked a day in her life. However, she wasn’t cruel enough to just toss her young girls out into the streets with nowhere to go. So, she devised a plan for each girl. Cova would be able to best utilize her smarts in a challenging field full of promise, which is why she was sent to a good witch in the next town over, to become an apprentice in magic. Lía was already very popular around town, she would thrive in a social environment like the bakery on main street where to this day men constantly asked for her hand. As for her, (Y/n), she would stay here in Obregón’s tailor shop, where Tia Rosa deemed was best fit. Afterall, she did know how to carry on the business, she had even helped their reputation grow substantially as more people came in every day and profits increased. Although, she hardly had the time to spend the earnings on herself, that’s what Tia Rosa was there for. Rather, never there for. She’d collect earnings from the business (Y/n) ran and would disappear for weeks or months at a time to another town or city. But that's besides the point… 

By now, the trolley she was on was near the center of town that happened to be within blocks away, the streets became crowded with people walking on foot. On roads below bridges, there were lines of military tanks rolling by. Not much further in, the sidewalks were jam packed with hundreds, upon thousands, of people. Confetti rained down, banners and flags were strung from every corner and door. Every window was occupied as citizens cheered and waved at the parade of temporary victors, a show of military strength. Soldiers in their crisp uniforms marched in unified lines, cavalry on horseback carried large flags. 

As the density of the crowds increased, and the volume of cheers and the parade along with it, she felt her heart beat louder. This was too much, it was too loud, she couldn’t even think…! But she had come this far, to go back home now when she was so close would be a little pathetic. Avoiding the commotion like a plague, she decided it best to take the maze of alleyways to calm her nerves. There were hardly any people on those backstreets, just the occasional stationed soldier. Focusing her gaze on the war propaganda posters on the brick and clay walls underneath window boxes filled with colorful flowers, she pretended to carefully study them as she increased her pace from a calm stroll to a quick speed walk, examining the items as if they were the most fascinating objects she ever saw. Really, she’d rather not make awkward eye contact with the soldiers on guard that watched her like a hawk, which is why she hurried along until they were out of sight.

Now that she was alone, with the crowds and their entertainment separated from her by walls of homes and businesses, she felt relief as the once loud sounds melted into background noise. For now she could concentrate on the address scribbled out on the folded piece of paper in her hands, and her anxiety could be replaced with confusion as she attempted to navigate these small hidden paths. This was only the second time she was on this path, since (Y/n) barely had time to ever go out due to work and her own incompetence. The first was on a holiday some weeks ago when the shop closed early, which granted her a few hours to venture on the main roads to the bakery where her friend worked. This was the second time, and she’s never taken the back roads, which was why she couldn’t tell left from right here. 

Just in time, she looked up from her note to stop her feet from moving, as she came face-to-face with an obstacle. It wasn’t another dead end, this obstacle wore clothing and golden pins, and had a head that could easily look down from his height and see the top of her hat. Immediately she stiffened up and took a step back, hesitantly forcing her eyes to look up at the smiling soldier that casually leaned against the wall. 

The young man only appeared amused as she jumped a step back in surprise. (Y/n) noticed that delighted sparkle in his eyes, as if her skittish self and startled reaction was his entertainment for the afternoon. Before she could open her mouth to mutter an apology and force her head down to continue ahead, the man leaned just a few inches closer to get a better look at her face hidden by the rim of her colorfully embroidered sun hat. “Huh, just like a mouse. Are you lost?” 

A mouse… A skittish field mouse. Would that then make him a rat or a predator? Holding her tongue so not as to speak her mind, she merely shook her head. Offending a soldier would not be good. Not that she had the confidence to say the quick comeback that came to mind anyways. “No… I’m not lost.” That was a lie. 

The young soldier persisted, refusing to move off the path as he continued to block her way. “You look lost. Say, what do you say to an invitation to tea? Afterwards, we can go over directions and escort you to where you’re heading.” Even his partner in patrol, an older gentleman, also a soldier but likely more experienced by at least a few years, moved from his post and approached in curiosity. 

As the second man stepped closer, she could distinctly hear his polished shoes tapping in a steady rhythm as he stood beside his friend. Her own heart rate easily outpaced his steps, and it wasn’t increasing due to excitement, it was due to growing unease. Yes, she knew rationally that these soldiers likely meant no harm and merely wanted to flirt, but her mind could only conjure up the worst possible scenarios as she reminded herself that they outnumbered her, they were stronger, and they had their long firearms strapped to their backs. Keeping her head down, she replied, “Thank you, but no. I’m supposed to be meeting up with someone.” 

Just like the first did, the second soldier bent down a bit to peer at her features. Just like his accomplice, he wore an amused smile as he shook his head and remarked. “A mouse? That’s not very nice. Don’t worry, you’re much better than a simple little mouse.” 

Rolling his eyes, the younger soldier only continued, “If you’re old enough to drink, we can go to a bar if that’s more your style? Do you live around here?” 

This was getting ridiculous. Did they never learn to accept rejection? No means no, even children could comprehend that. But for now, she was at their mercy, no one would come to help her here. It would be up to them to decide she was no use for any fun and let her go, or continue to persist for their selfish desires. “No. Please let me pass.” 

Barely phased by her firm reply, the younger of the two turned to his partner and scoffed, “See? I told you the girls don’t like the beard you’re growing out. It scares them.” 

It’s as if her plea went through one ear and out the other, not swaying them in even the slightest bit. The older gentleman merely rubbed the stubble on his chin, “It makes me look better. Besides, I’m sure she doesn’t mind. She might even prefer a man with facial hair.” Actually, the word gentleman did not describe him well. 

In that moment she was wondering, would she truly risk it all just to snap back in reply? It must’ve felt so satisfying, but was it necessary? Later, would she come to regret her decision or revel in it? Would she seriously use this sprouting frustration, minimal not only compared to her current fears but also in the grand scheme of things, to temporarily push past her anxiety and say something…? Probably not. As annoying as these men were, like the constant buzz of a pestersome fly, they hadn’t caused any harm except to waste a bit of her precious free time. 

“Ah, there you are, mi corazón. I was worried about you.” A smooth and silky voice interrupted.

[an-idyllic-novelist]

Alastor with gender-neutral!reader Christmas scenario

warnings: established relationship, mentions of violence, ooc and fluff.

Inspiration came from @lbcreations-blog's holiday fic. The link will be here. Special thanks to @vikkirosko for giving me feedback on this segment before I posted it. Merry Christmas one and all! :)

Alastor could recall very little memories of the Christmases he had spent as a mortal. Time was a funny thing; it blurred, made your brain all fuzzy until all you can ever really remember are the people you had once loved. In the Radio Demon’s case, the honor of a preserved memory belonged to his mother. Recently though, someone else had been occupying his mind and creating new memories in Hell. You. His significant other. 

To celebrate the coming of the winter solstice and to bring some festive cheer to the Hazbin Hotel, Charlie thought it would be a wonderful idea to throw a little party in one of the ballrooms. Some decorations, good food and liquor, gifts. An ideal Christmas get-together, so to speak. You helped Vagatha with getting the supplies needed, and he just watched all of this chaos happen, occasionally helping when the princess absolutely insisted that he become involved. 

What caused the pleasant Christmas  jazz music around him to a screeching halt was the sight of a plant hanging over the archway leading to the main lobby coming from the elevators. And you were right underneath it, carrying a box of ornaments in your hands. Alastor definitely did not hang this up here, which only left two possible culprits: Charlie, or Angel Dust. Husk was busy minding the bar. Niffty is still in the kitchen preparing the food, and she knew much he despised being touched by anyone. 

Especially you. He told you as much in the early beginnings of your relationship, including how he would prefer to not engage in physical intimacy beyond hand holding because he did not like it. You always gave him a wide berth, respecting his personal space and being content with how things were, though sometimes…he knew you wanted just a little more. You just would not say it because you already knew he would refuse. 

In regards to this….scenario, everyone’s eyes were on him and you. Half-expecting him to give in and just give you a kiss on the cheek, or for you to take initiative and do the deed and be placed on his dinner menu. Neither of which actually happened. Alastor was fully ready to step away and forget about the entire thing until you smiled sheepishly, bowing to him and extending your hand to him.

“Care to dance?”

He felt the tension evaporate from his shoulders, replaced with a chipper tune and a round of applause from the audience. “Why, I’d be delighted, my dear!” Carefully lowering his gloved palm on top of yours, he pulled you to his body and swung you around to the trumpets of his shadows. His grin stretched as he watched you quickly catch onto the rhythm, laughing as he dipped you towards the ground, then back up and did a twirl. You spun around, breaking away from him and bowing to him with that lovely smile of yours. 

Oh, how lucky he is to have you, indeed~! 

Though if anyone were to try and kiss you under the mistletoe, he will remind them why he is in Hell.

Taglist:

@isuckatwritingsobenice

@thatstonedwriter

@aurora-rose-miller

@lbcreations-blog

@nunezs-stuff

@samoaz

@chroniccorvus

@myafterlifeisbetterthenyours

@crystalrose36

@nixie-writes

@doc-tooth

@angelltheninth

@violetsnowflake330

@ladykitsunesworld

@sillypenguincats

@food-theorys-blog

@theunknowntravel3r

[exeggcute]

the leaked mrbeast production doc kills me because like, for better or worse, this guy clearly has his shit down to a science. he knows exactly what game he's playing and he knows how to play to win. the actual doc is structured well, communicates its ideas clearly, but also was thrown together by a youtube guy who paid no attention to visual formatting or proofreading. and yet as much as I hate to say it, stuff like this is actually great and widely applicable advice:

What you consume on social media, when you watch youtube, tv, the games you play, etc. are what I like to call your information diet. Chris Tyson (our first subscriber and the guy in the videos) is a wonderful example of an information diet being used to perfection. The dude is funny as fuck. I’ve never met anyone in my entire life that can make people laugh like he can and I never understood why he was so good at it until I lived with him for a few years. The dude watches an obscene amount of cartoons and stupid shit. His eyeballs exsist to inhail copious amounts of just goofy, dumb, and brain numbing content. And as a result he can quote almost any line from any episode of spongebob. He’s able to draw from so much stupid shit in his head as inspiration to make jokes and be quirky. As a result he is fucken hilarious. But let’s imagine a different Chris, let’s say instead of cartoons and stupid shit, his information diet was stocks and investing advice. And for 5 years that’s all he consumed. Do you think he’d be just as funny as he currently is? No. He in my opinion wouldn’t even be 20% as funny. If you’re a writer or director you really need to monitor and perfect your information diet. If your diet is not correct, you won’t have a good pulse on culture. I don’t want you to be a chris, in fact, I think that would probably do you harm. Talent needs to inhale cartoons so they can be funny, writers need to inhale inspiration. Let’s say there is a purple fruit in the middle of Australia that when eaten makes you 2 feet taller. If it truly did exist, you wouldn’t have known that until just right now. But now that you know of it, you can draw on it for inspiration for every piece of content you write going forward. That’s beautiful, it can now sit in the back of your mind waiting for that one video where it is needed. It might take 10 videos or even 100 but eventually you’ll be brainstorming a bit and think of the right one to use the fruit for. Apply this to everything on this fucken planet. You. Can’t. Get. Inspired. By. Things. You. Don’t. Know. Exist. So how do you learn more about what's out there in the world? How do you stay up to date on the latest memes? How do you know what’s going on with celebrities? What’s trending on youtube? What other creators are doing? What’s popping on tik tok? Your information diet. Consume things on a daily basis that help you write better content.

[alienoresimagines]

Hi, 🤗 If you take the clegan prompt and it inspires you, what about SCREAM or CAREFUL? (depending of your whump mood 😉)

[ SCREAM ]: sender spots the receiver in a terrified or considerably panicked state, and picks them up to carry them to a less terrifying place to calm down.

[ CAREFUL ]: sender gently lifts the receiver out of their seat and carries them carefully to bed after noticing they fell asleep and not wanting to waken them.

Sooo I may have gone a little overboard with this but it was so much fun, thank you !!❤️ I went with the second one but I'm keeping [SCREAM] in a corner of my doc ;) Here you have 2520 words of fluff and a tiny bit of angst though I apologize if the writing is a bit rusty, I haven't written anything since ... *checks AO3* 2022 so it's been awhile 😅 I hope you'll like it ❤️

And thank you to @triggerlil for beta reading this 🥰😘

Find my other Mota fics here

Title is from Drag Me Under by Sleep Token (amazing Clegan fanvid with it here )

Drag Me Under | Buck x Bucky (also on AO3)

Buck’s always been quiet by nature, he doesn’t particularly like being the center of attention. When he smiles wide, he ducks his head and puts a hand in front of his mouth to hide and prevent anyone from noticing him. It’s rare to get a full-body laugh from him and damn near impossible if you’re not Bucky. So, it figures he’d be a quiet sleeper too. If Bucky’s attention wasn’t always somehow on Gale and every little thing he does, he doubts he’d have noticed the other man had fallen asleep. As it is, Bucky is mesmerized, the radio and the baseball game all but forgotten. A bomb could go off and he doesn’t think it would be enough for him to tear his gaze away. 

Buck’s leaning on the armrest, not quite slumping down but not sitting as straight as he would awake, his eyes closed and pink lips slightly parted to let out soft exhales. His eyelashes fan over delicate cheekbones, mirroring his usually carefully styled hair that falls over his forehead in soft strands, no longer abiding by the products Buck had slicked them back with in the morning. Bucky aches to touch, to card his fingers through the golden locks and feel again how soft they are. To feel Buck’s warmth on his fingertips as he gently traces them over his cheeks. He looks young, Bucky thinks, which isn’t quite right. He looks his age, a fact that Bucky often forgets because he’s never thought of Buck as anything but his equal. Yet in the dim light of the table lamp painting his skin a soft gold, shadows rounding the edges of a jawline still too sharp after months of not enough food, book forgotten on his lap, Buck looks unbearably young, and Bucky is overwhelmed with the need to care, to protect. 

It’s not like Buck can’t do that for himself. Bucky knows firsthand how capable Buck is, and has experienced multiple times the warmth curling in his chest and the burst of pride taking over his being at seeing just how competent Buck is. But there is a special trust in Buck allowing himself to let his guard down in such a vulnerable manner around him. A silent “I know you won’t hurt me” that Bucky still can’t bring himself to feel deserved. It only makes him want to curl around Buck and hold him tight to his chest, show him that his trust won’t be misplaced again, that Bucky will never let himself fall as low as he did once. He will never forgive himself for hurting his Buck as he did in the Stalag, even if the man himself had forgiven immediately, had insisted that “there’s nothing to forgive Bucky, it’s just this place”. In a way, he was right. Any plane of existence witnessing Bucky being intentionally cruel and hurting Buck had to be Satan’s personal hell. It certainly was Bucky’s.

He’ll never forget the way Brady tensed whenever he was close or the way Benny scooted closer to Buck when he approached. At first, he’d thought they were scared of him and while the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to try and snap out of it. Only after his fight with Gale, when Benny placed himself between him and Buck for their meager dinner while looking him straight in his eyes, his jaw clenched and anger pouring out of him in waves did John realize that they thought they needed to protect Buck from him. Flak could have pierced the cockpit while he was on the left seat, pinning him to the metal while steel pierced his heart till he was choking on his own blood, and Bucky knew it would have hurt less than that realization. Buck had never made any indication that he was scared of him but Bucky had hit him. The mere thought of it, the feel of his rib cracking under his boot had Bucky nauseous whenever his thoughts strayed back to it. Hurting Buck felt like betraying his own heart. That had been a terrifying awakening and when the bloodcurdling shame had turned into steel determination, he’d promised himself: never again. He will never be the reason Buck hurts or feels unsafe. 

And here they were now, Buck feeling safe enough to fall asleep just an arm’s distance away. Bucky’s no stranger to duty, but this one, this promise, feels like the most important one in his life. Perhaps that’s what his mother had meant when she had said, long before he enlisted, in their little kitchen, as Bucky stood at a crossroads not knowing what he wanted to do with his life, that every person was put on this Earth for a purpose and that he’d find his soon. 

Suddenly overwhelmed with the need to make sure that this is real, that he did get home to Buck and Buck to him, he rises from his armchair, turning off the radio as he does, and crouches down in front of Buck, letting his eyes roam all over the prettiest face he’s ever seen. The parted pink lips with a cupid’s bow that always made Bucky want to capture those lips with his own to feel how soft they were, the constellations of freckles and beauty marks on his cheeks and lightly dusting his nose that he often traces with his fingers until Buck complains that the touch tickles but still leaning into it, the fading scars on his cheeks that Bucky always kisses in the morning when he wakes up and in the evening when they go to bed.

Yet, despite his vow and his best wishes bordering on despair, he knows there are some things he can’t protect Buck from, the evidence of this painted in lilac under the younger’s eyes. Bucky wishes he could erase the bruises with a caress of his fingers and tender kisses, that he could place himself as a dam sturdy enough that nightmares could only crash against him without ever reaching the shore of Buck’s dreams. It hurts to know he can only hold Buck close to his chest and whisper sweet nothings in his ear to bring the love of his life out of the water and back to him, anchoring him with gentle caresses and mindless humming until memories of war and horrors recede like waves back to the sea. His gaze lingers on the traces of fatigue on Buck’s face, made all the more apparent by the lack of frown between his brows, the relaxed tilt of his mouth for once not pulled in a serious line. 

Experimentally, Bucky slowly takes the book from Buck’s hands, letting them fall on the man’s lap. He doesn’t stir as Bucky carefully places the bookmark where Buck presumably stopped reading before placing it on the coffee table, near the lamp. Had Buck been able to sleep for more than three hours a night for the past week, he would’ve woken at the movement and blinked sleepily at Bucky before bashfully apologizing, ducking his head just so as he did. His sweet, darling Buck, now exhausted by memories that wouldn’t leave him alone. Bucky’s heart twists painfully in his chest and he’s helpless but to reach out and touch, gently stroking the golden locks off his forehead before cupping his cheek. Instinctively, Buck leans into the touch of his palm until his head rests entirely against the cradle of Bucky’s hand, trusting him even at his most vulnerable, even when he’s not conscious of it. John’s so in love that he doesn’t think he’d need a B-17 for him to soar through the skies. He’s never held anything so precious in his life. How strange, to know his heart fits so perfectly into the curve of his palm.

Swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat and blinking back the wetness in his eyes, Bucky sighs softly before weighing his options. Waking up Buck is clearly out of the question, because if there are some things Bucky can’t protect the other man from, sheltering one of his rare peaceful rest is the least he can do. He could wedge a pillow between the armrest and Buck’s head, cover him with a blanket and let him sleep but the other would still wake up with a stiff back. They’d both slept in worse conditions during the war, but echoes of a past confession swirl in Bucky’s mind until they form the image of a little Gale, not even Buck yet, let alone One-Engine Cleven, sleeping and shivering outside a pony track. He doesn’t have to think about it for long before deciding to find a way to get Buck in bed without waking him up. For as long as Bucky lives, Gale Cleven will never have to sleep anywhere but in a warm and comfortable bed, where he’ll feel safe and free to burrow into the covers and stretch in the lazy morning while curling up closer to Bucky. 

Admittedly, there aren’t many options to get Buck in bed that don’t require him to be awake. He could gently shake him awake and hope Buck won’t wake entirely, just enough to walk somewhat on his own while Bucky guides him, but there”s always the risk that he won’t be able to fall back asleep after that. So, Bucky won’t wake him. The only way is to carry Buck to their bed and, while Bucky is confident he can, he doesn’t want Buck to wake in the middle of their trip and panic. Bucky strokes his thumb back and forth on the other’s cheekbone and watches as Buck imperceptibly nuzzles his palm, his face completely relaxed. Trusting. John has always been a betting man and he’ll be damned if one day he doesn’t bet on them. BuckandBucky. Pursing his lips, he nods once as he comes to a decision, edging slightly closer to the couch as he wiggles an arm beneath bony knees and the other around Buck’s shoulders.

“Alright, doll, wheels up.”

It doesn’t take as much effort as Bucky would have liked to scoop Buck in his arms, pausing when he stirred lightly once as he maneuvered the other’s arm on his stomach so it wouldn’t hang awkwardly off his frame and a second time to make sure his head was resting comfortably on Bucky’s shoulder. Even though it’s been months since the Stalag, Buck still hasn’t gotten back all the weight he lost and while he is nowhere near as skinny as he was in February, he’s still too light. It makes Bucky’s guts go tight with worry and he tightens his grip with the arm he has under Buck’s knees and the one around his back, pressing a kiss to the golden crown. They’ll have pancakes for breakfast tomorrow.

Hair the color of wheat tickles his neck and chin as he moves carefully up the stairs and Buck’s warm exhales fan over his chest. Through his worry, Bucky can feel warmth spreading through his entire being at such a demonstration of trust and vulnerability. He knows he’s broader than most, and his build has often been a source of pride, especially in his teens while he was still trying to find himself among others. And though Buck is no small man either, only two inches shorter than Bucky, he’s always been on the leaner side. No less powerful than him, but all grace and lean muscles. In the Stalag, Bucky had despaired and cursed at the difference as he watched Buck wither away faster than others, his shoulder blades like two broken wings piercing through his shirt that hung off his frame. Now, he feels a sense of gratefulness that perhaps, his slightly broader form helps Buck feel protected and safe. 

Even though Buck’s lighter than he should be, Bucky’s arms and backs scream in protest at the prolonged exertion but he grits his teeth against the ache and opens their bedroom door with his elbow. The moon hasn’t risen yet, the sky a pinkish color through the window illuminating the room with a soft glow. Carefully, Bucky deposits Buck on the bed, first his legs then his upper body, one hand cradling the back of his head as he lowers him to the pillow. Buck sleeps on, lips slightly parted, and Bucky can’t resist swiping a few errand strands off his forehead before placing a feather-light kiss there. Stretching back up, he considers changing Buck into comfier clothes as he knows the man will purse his lips in disgust at the wrinkles that are sure to be in his current clothes in the morning but Bucky’s own limbs are calling out for him to rest. He’ll just kiss Buck’s pout in the morning, he figures with a grin. Still, he knows Buck hates sleeping without a blanket on, even in the sweltering heat of summer, so he untucks the covers from their army-regulated folds and manages to cover Buck with them, effectively tucking him in. Hovering over him, hand braced near his head on the pillow, Bucky’s once again struck by how beautiful the other is. With his blond hair forming a halo on the white pillow, he really does look like an angel. Bucky’s angel. His gaze drifts to the long blond eyelashes fanning over delicate cheekbones, and his lips tingle with the need to see again how they’d feel against them. Slowly, he lowers himself to press barely there kisses to the skin under Buck’s eyes, feels the soft brush of eyelashes and the warmth of his skin against his lips. It’s only been an hour at most but Bucky already misses the blue of his eyes. John huffs a laugh at the thought. He really is gone for this man, isn’t he ?

Then, Buck shifts in his sleep and Bucky freezes, afraid he’d woken him up with his affections. But the other only turns on his side, one hand going under his pillow while the other latches on to Bucky’s as it rests against the pillow, and brings it closer to his face, sighing contentedly as he does so. Bucky’s heart starts hammering in his chest as waves of fondness pour out of him. He is filled with so much love for the man under him he’s surprised he hasn’t exploded yet, but he supposes it is because his love bleeds through everything he does, every word he speaks. This, he thinks, this is why I fought. For this love, I’d do it all over again. As long as I get to love him like this, I’ll never not come home.

Careful not to dislodge his hand from Buck’s gentle hold, he slides under the covers behind him, chest to back, tangling their legs together, and nuzzles his hair before pressing a kiss to the top of his spine.

“You and me, Buck.”

Buck, still asleep, instantly presses closer until they are closer to one than to two like they’ve always been and always were meant to be.

BuckandBucky.

[it-happened-one-fic]

Sparring Sessions - Silver

Author Notes: So.. this fic is a sort of odd one in a lot of ways. I guess you could say I was inspired by a line from Silver's P.E. uniform where he says something about how he thinks Prefect has talent with a sword. To be honest, this fic has just been sitting in my google docs gathering dust and occasionally getting workshopped for quite some time. I really didn't know what else to post this week, so this one ended up being the lucky fic. As per usual, reader is gender-neutral. I hope you enjoy!

Type: Gender-neutral reader/ fluff/ platonic or romantic

Word count: 1154

I panted slightly. Sliding backwards through the sand but not landing on my butt through sheer willpower and determination. From across the sandy sparring area, found in the shadow of Diasomnia’s dorm, Silver straightened. Ever calm and elegant.

 He didn’t look out of breath or the slightest bit worn out, despite the fact that I was struggling to even halfway keep up with his pace.

Why exactly had I agreed to learn swordplay from Silver? Because he’d certainly done a good job of marketing it. Good enough that I almost wanted to tell Azul he should think about hiring the young man if it wouldn’t bring quite so much trouble to Silver’s doorstep.

Nonetheless, Silver’s reasoning had been strong.

Swordplay would be a means by which I could defend myself and would ensure that I was better prepared for the next overblot, whenever and if another occurred. Additionally, I didn’t have magic and was likely to be taken advantage of. Being able to defend myself would lessen that risk too. 

Silver had also gotten Sebek on the case, who was more than happy to praise the virtues of learning swordplay. Citing it as a way to strengthen character as well as make me more capable.

All of that, plus a longing for something to do outside of Crowley’s many tasks and homework, had led me to this point. Determinedly sparring with Silver yet again, in an effort to beat him at least once.

Of course, before this point, there had been my lengthy training. Malleus and Lilia had both been delighted when I’d showed up asking to be trained, with Lilia even offering to be the one to teach me. 

It hadn’t been very long at all, though, before my prospective teacher had backpedaled out of his offers. And I’d been surprised, until I’d learned that Lilia had done this because Silver had, out of nowhere and to the utter delight of his father, stated that he had been planning on being the one to teach me.

And teach me he had. But Silver was not exactly a kind teacher. He wasn’t cruel by any means; far from it. But he also didn’t take it easy on me. And he pushed me hard. 

I’d come here to learn, and learn I would. My safety was dependent on it. But I was thankful for the way he pushed me. He didn’t coddle me, which was what I wanted. 

But, that said, it didn't make repetitively losing any more enjoyable.

I huffed slightly as Silver shifted, preparing to launch towards me and continue our little joust the moment it became clear that I wasn’t about to tumble over. 

His eyebrows rose at my frustrated expression, his single reaction before he darted forward at what ought to be inhuman speeds. Unfortunately, though, he was simply that fast.

 I’d learned that the hard way.

 Silver would never use magic against me. After all, he was chivalrous and fair, just a bit air-headed at times. However, that meant he only ever used his own innate, albeit trained, capabilities. Even if they seemed vaguely superhuman.

At the very least, I was beginning to understand exactly why Sebek was so frustrated by his seniors' skills. Even though I knew he’d had to train just as hard as anyone else, Silver’s proficiency was definitely kind of annoying.

I dodged to the side and whirled, launching myself at him. Because I knew perfectly well that this was my only chance to get him down. 

His eyes went wide as I collided with him, knocking him off balance and sending us both tumbling towards the hard ground.

And I could hardly believe my luck when his back hit the earth.

He let out a soft grunt just before I landed on top of him, my wooden sword pressing into the ground just next to him. I panted heavily, looking down with slight surprise at the similarly startled young man under me.

As shock wore away, I felt pride set in, and a pleased smile curled across my face, “Ha! I win.” 

I couldn’t help but teasingly gloat a little, and Silver’s wide-eyed surprise was soon replaced by a slight smile. And, for a brief moment, I genuinely believed that his smile was one of pride in the fact that his student finally won their first bout.

 In reality, though, it was anything but.

His hand curled around my wrist, and, with a sudden shove paired with a yank, I had been flipped over and forced onto my back. My wooden sword rolling pitifully away across the ground. 

It was my turn to stare wide-eyed up at the young man who now knelt above me, pale hair hanging around his face as he looked down at me.

 To make matters worse, one of his hands securely held my wrists pinned to the ground over my head, while the other held his wooden sword to my neck. There was no getting out of this one.

“Never proclaim your victory until it is sure.” Ever the teacher, even with that frustratingly charming, if small, smile still on his face.

For a brief second, I just stared up at him, shocked. And then I felt frustration well up within me.

I began to thrash around, attempting to break his grip or knock him off me, one. Neither happened, though.

Instead, Silver remained unmoved, looking down at me with that slight smile still playing on his face. His eyes gave away his amusement, though. Beautiful purple yet blue eyes gleaming down at me with barely concealed humor.

Normally such a sight was impossible to see, but I’d been getting better at reading Silver and his subtle expressions. It wasn’t that he didn’t get amusement from things; it was just that he had to keep himself calm or risk suddenly falling asleep.

I at last stopped, breathing heavily from exertion, and he tilted his head, ever-patient and not the slightest bit condescending, as he calmly questioned me, “Done?”

I huffed out a sigh, letting myself flop against the ground and turning my face away so that I was looking across the training area instead of up at him. Even then, though, I could still see him perfectly through my peripheral vision, “I yield.”

He nodded, his smile briefly reappearing as he shifted, got off me, and stood. He held out one hand, which I silently accepted, letting him pull me to my feet with ease.

He picked up my sword and watched silently as I brushed the sand off my gym uniform. I glanced over at him, waiting for him to speak, and he tilted his head, “Next Tuesday?”

The tell-tale glimmer in his eyes said everything, but I found myself grinning back at him because I would be lying if I said I wasn’t enjoying our little sparring sessions, even if he was a beyond frustrating opponent, “You’re on.”

[aurae-rori]

CSM AVENTIO AU short snippet

"Doctor," Aventurine says, as they stand there on their apartment balcony together. "What is your opinions on humans?"

"Where is this coming from?" Ratio scoffs, leaning on the railings. His irises widen, almost like a cat's, adjusting to the dark. His horns peak slightly out of his hair. He yawns, and with the light that Aventurine's lighter casts on their balcony, he can catch the way Ratio's fangs glint.

"Curiosity," Aventurine replies, and pulls out his next cigarette, placing it in front of the awaiting flame. It comes to life immediately, and he inhales it, then exhales, watching the smoke from his cigarette fade away into the dying night's sky.

"If you wish to know what I have already stated multiple times," Ratio says, "I think most humans are mediocre. They do not think for themselves. Their critical thinking skills.. gone." He glances at Aventurine's cigarettes. "Stop smoking. It'll kill you, eventually."

"Ah-ah-ah," Aventurine laughs, tilting his head back when he does. He then takes another drag. "That's the point, Doc."

"You are destroying yourself," Ratio observes, his gaze analytical.

The devil hunter grins.

The fiend stares back.

"Of course I'm destroying myself," he says. "It's a key human trait."

"I take back my observation from earlier," Ratio says instead, perfectly impassive, and yet, Aventurine can see the way his teeth grind together in the dim lighting. "Most humans are mediocre, but you are a self-sacrificial idiot."

"You've got me all figured out, don't you?" Aventurine asks with a wide, wide smile. It feels fake. It's like molten plastic on his face.

"No," Ratio replies. "I will figure you out, though."

"Good luck, fiend." It feels like a challenge. This is Aventurine's bet. He is a man of good luck - his contract to the Devil of Fortune deems it so, after all. He's been doomed since he was born, a lucky, lucky child despite the fact that Misfortune was brought to everyone around him.

Ratio will be the next to fall.

He doesn't seem bothered, though.

He grins back, all sharp teeth and inhuman eyes.

"In the pursuit of knowledge," the fiend of knowledge says, "I thank you for your luck. I won't need it."

Aventurine had known that this fiend - the fiend of knoweldge, the representation of human's fear of knowledge - would be interesting. In the way that he seemed to 'propagate' his own fear by teaching others, from the way that he enjoyed giving his knowledge to others, studying things - he was much more different then what Aventurine had in mind when it had been announced that the fiend of knowledge wanted to work with Public Safety.

However, for some reason, he was also... the perfect embodiment of knowledge. He knew too much. Inspired fear with the way he stared at people.

But not Aventurine.

Aventurine was never afraid of knowledge.

It seems that Dr. Ratio isn't afraid of misfortune, either. Maybe he believes that his knowledge will allow him to navigate the situation.

However the dice rolls..

It will be interesting.

"Here's to our new partnership," the gambler says, instead, holding up another cigarette for the fiend.

Doctor Ratio rolls his eyes, and pushes Aventurine's cigarette back towards him. His hands are warm. Almost... human.

"Keep your cigarette, gambler," he says. "I'm not intent on destroying myself in my own pursuit for knowledge, or the future. I also won't bet everything when I'm trying to achieve my goals." And then, without another word, he leaves the balcony, door sliding shut behind him as he pads back into the apartment.

Aventurine stands out there, in the cold, smoke tumbling from his lit cigarette, and the unlit one still in his other hand.

This will be interesting.

[ereardon]

Golden Hour || Ch. 10

[Bob Floyd x Bradley Bradshaw x OC]

A Bob Floyd & Bradley Bradshaw AU [Hart of Dixie inspired]

Synopsis: Willow, Georgia. Barely even a town, just a speck on a map that you tried to wipe off, mistaking it for a crumb. You’re the outsider: a fancy New York doctor, fresh out of a failed engagement, with zero primary care experience. You’re also the new town doctor, taking over for a recent retiree who was beloved. His son, Bob Floyd, is the other physician at the practice, and takes an immediate dislike to you. But you were looking for a fresh start, and Willow doesn’t seem all that bad if you can get past the fact that there's only one restaurant in town. It helps that you've caught the eye of Bradley Bradshaw, the town attorney, despite the fact that you vowed to take a break from dating. How long until you start to make friends in a town where social circles have been set in stone since elementary school? And what will it take to make Bob Floyd see you’re not as bad as he wants to believe you are?

Pairing: Bob Floyd x OC; Bradley Bradshaw x OC

Tropes: Love triangle, enemies to lovers

Warnings: Angst, cursing, alcohol

Chapter summary: Bradley invites Bob and Olive to dinner. Olive and Bob have a real conversation following their spontaneous kiss

WC: 2K

Masterlist here; previous chapter here

The office was busy by the time you showed up. You were late on purpose, because the earlier you showed up the more likely you were to run into Bob. 

“Dr. James.” Molly was frazzled. You frowned as she showed a handful of paperclipped charts in your arms. “You’re late. We have five patients waiting for you.” 

“Give me two minutes and then send the first person in.” You turned, trying not to look up as you made your way into your office. Closing the door, you collapsed into your desk chair. On the other side of the wall, you heard Bob’s voice, low murmurs. A shiver crawled up your back. 

And then the door swung open. “Doc!” 

“Mr. Peterson,” you said, standing up. “What’s bothering you today?” 

He grunted and sat down, heavily, on the exam table. “This bum hip, like always.” 

You snapped on a pair of gloves and turned to him. “Alright, let’s see what’s going on.” 

The day was chock full of patients. Mr. Peterson’s arthritic hip, two cases of spider bites, one kid with pink eye, an ice cream shop worker with carpal tunnel. 

It was well after seven by the time you stood up and inched your door open, peering around. The hallway was empty, Molly was gone. You breathed out a sigh of relief, grabbing your purse and shutting your office door. But just as you turned, a shadow crossed the floor and you looked up. 

Bob looked like a deer in headlights. He had one hand on the doorknob to his office, his hair tousled. “Dr. James,” he said, voice low and rough. You remembered what his hands felt like on your neck, his lips on yours. 

Your voice gasped a little. “Bob.” 

His blue eyes flashed for a moment and you weren’t sure if it was excitement or anger flooding his features. And then all of the light drained out of his eyes and he turned, breezing past you, practically running out the door once again. 

***

You were sitting on a barstool at Breakers, nursing a glass of white boxed wine, when a pair of hands wrapped around your shoulders, causing you to gasp. 

Bradley spun you around on the chair, a grin spread wide across his face. He leaned down and kissed you, in front of everyone, leaving you gasping for air as he pulled back. 

“Hey there, Doc,” he said, settling onto the seat next to you. “Miss me?” 

You crossed your legs, hooking one heel into the bottom bar of his stool and Bradley placed a large, warm hand on your bare thigh. “Of course.” 

He grinned. “What did you get up to while I was gone?” 

You hesitated. On the other side of the bar, Phoenix was watching the two of you, polishing a glass from a few feet away, her dark hair swept up in a ponytail. You shrugged. “Oh not much. Just work, you know. Lots of patients, had to do some filing and admin.” 

Bradley frowned. “Admin? I hope Floyd isn’t pushing you too hard.” 

The memory of Bob’s kiss flitted across your mind. The way his hand had felt on the back of your neck, tugging you forward with reckless abandon. “No,” you whispered. “He’s been great.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “Great? So the two of you are finally getting along?” 

“Um, yeah, I think so.” 

Bradley pulled his hand from your thigh and smiled, tugging his phone out and placing it on the bar. “Perfect. Then let’s do dinner, the three of us. My place.” 

“Oh, no, I—”

“He’s a good guy,” Bradley interrupted. “And we’ve been friends for a long time. So I’d love if the three of us could hang out.” 

There was something finite about his words. He had made up his mind. You nodded. “OK, sure. Dinner.” 

***

Standing at Bradley’s doorstep, you raised one hand to knock before taking a deep breath. And then you lowered your fist and let out the breath. 

What the hell were you doing? Why was this so uncomfortable? You had slept with Bradley once, and kissed Bob once. Did either of them mean anything? You weren’t exclusive with Bradley, you weren’t even dating. You weren’t sure what you were. 

On the other hand, Bob Floyd acted like you didn’t exist 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time he was actively hating you. 

So why should you care if it was weird for him to see you and Bradley together? 

“Are you going to knock, or do you expect the door to fly open through telekinesis?” 

You whirled around. Bob stood a few steps down on the pathway, holding a bottle of wine. HIs face was unreadable. 

“I was going to knock,” you said. 

Bob stepped closer and you caught a whiff of his soap – minty and herbal – and leaned over, knocking on the door sharply, his eyes never leaving yours. 

The door swung open a second later, Bradley standing barefoot with a kitchen towel slung over one shoulder. “Hey guys, come on in.” 

Bob held out a hand and you stepped inside first, the sound of your heels clacking against the wooden floor. To your surprise, Bradley leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to your lips. A blush crept over your face and neck, and you averted your eyes from him or Bob. 

“Is that for tonight?” Bob nodded, handing over the bottle of wine. “NIce, thanks man. Come on in.” 

You scampered behind Bradley, unable to meet Bob’s gaze, wandering into the kitchen where he had a bowl of guacamole out and some chips. Instinctively, you dragged a chip through the green dip and shoved it into your face to prevent talking. Nerves were bubbling at the surface of your skin. 

“How was the trial?” Bob’s voice surprised you. He was a man of so few words, so having him lead the conversation was shocking. 

Bradley stood at the stove, stirring a pot of beans. “Long,” he replied. “Tedious, as always.” There was a pause. Then, “Anything happen while I was gone?” 

Was it you, or did the air in the room shift? You quickly shoved another tortilla chip in your mouth to cover the silence. Bob put one hand on the counter, not too far from where you sat hunched over the bowl of chips. “Not much,” he replied, nonchalant. “Usual Willow drama.” 

Bradley raised an eyebrow. “Drama?” 

You practically choked on the chip. 

Bob looked at you before responding, “The Mayfields are at it again.” 

Relief, hot like vodka, spread through your body. Bradley laughed. “Really? I don’t want to have to oversee the third divorce.”

“Third?” you asked. 

He nodded, but Bob’s voice was the one that cut through the kitchen air. “Mr. and Mrs. Mayfield got divorced probably ten years ago, and then promptly had an affair together and got pregnant. They got married again before the baby was born, but divorced when Anna turned three.” 

“So they’re divorced?” 

“Nope, got together again a few years later. But from the sounds of it, divorce number three might be incoming.” 

“This town should be its own sitcom,” you said, lifting the glass of wine that Bradley had poured to your lips. 

“So have you changed your mind about our little town, Doc?” Bradley asked, turning around pouring Bob another scotch. You hadn’t even seen him pour the first one. 

You shrugged. “It’s no New York.” 

“Nothing is.” Bradley put the wooden spoon down. “Floyd, remember that time you came to visit me at Columbia?” 

You frowned. Bob had gone to New York? You couldn’t picture him in the city. With all the suits and fast walking and snippy baristas. He would stick out like a sore thumb in his jeans and button down shirts, his Southern twang. 

Bob nodded. “I still think about that Korean chicken place you brought me to.” 

Bradley laughed. “Wow, Koreatown. I haven’t thought of that in ages.” 

You leaned on the counter and watched them. There was something so casual and easy about the way they spoke with each other. It was the first time it dawned on you that they had been friends for years. 

And you were getting in the middle of a friendship.

Dinner was delicious, with black beans sauteed with bacon and pork belly tacos and margaritas so strong your head started to buzz halfway through the meal. 

Before you realized it, you and Bob were standing in the doorway again. 

“Thanks for dinner,” Bob said, reaching out and clapping Bradley on the shoulder. 

Bradley grinned. “Anytime Floyd.” He turned to you, leaning in, his lips brushing against your ear. “You should stay.” 

You pulled back, face frozen, head shaking. “I have a lot of work in the morning,” you whispered. “But I’ll call you.” 

He nodded as Bob opened the door and the two of you were ushered out into the cool night. Before you could even squeak out a word, Bob was halfway down the driveway, speeding toward his house next door. You broke out into practically a jog behind him, running up the stairs to his house in heels. “Floyd!” 

He whipped around, eyes wide, one hand on the door. He was silent. 

You crossed your arms over your chest, suddenly cold. “So this is it?” you asked. “You’re just going to run away every time you see me? What the hell is going on?” you demanded. “Do you take it back?” 

Those last words came out as a sharp whisper. Bob reached out, grabbing your arm and pulling you around the front porch of the house to the opposite side, so you were out of view of Bradley’s home. 

Even when the two of you rounded the corner, his fingers didn’t leave your skin. Instead, he stepped closer, until you could feel the heat radiating off of his muscular body. “No,” he said gruffly. “I don’t want to take it back.” 

“Then what?” you pleaded. “What do you want?” 

“Take a wild guess, Olive.” Bob cocked his head to one side. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Yes, you do.” His voice forced a chill through your bones, a tingling settling in between your legs. “You’re a smart girl,” he whispered. “I think you know.” 

Your chest heaved uncontrollably. No one had ever looked at you the way Bob Floyd was looking at you in that moment. Not Bradley. Not Peter. Not any of the men you had dated in the past. It was all consuming. It threatened to swallow you whole. 

“We always want what we can’t have,” Bob murmured, letting his fingertips drop from your arm. “That’s human nature, I guess.” 

“Is that your diagnosis, Doctor?” 

He nodded. 

You shook your head. “In my professional opinion, it’s better to tell the truth than to hide how you feel.” 

“So you’re a psychiatrist now?” he murmured. 

“God, never.” 

Bob grinned. He lifted one arm, placing it on the siding of the house behind your head, creating a triangle with his body, practically pinning you against the house. You looked up, eyes wide. “Bradley is my best friend,” he whispered. “And you’re my business partner.”

“Almond milk isn’t real milk.” 

He frowned. “What?” 

“I thought we were just listing facts.” 

Bob shook his head and grunted. He was exasperated with you. You were all too familiar with that. “Jesus Chris, Livvy, I swear—”

You interrupted him. “Livvy?” No one had ever called you that before. 

His eyes flashed. “I mean Olive.” He flushed. 

You shook your head. “I like it.” 

Bob leaned down, letting his free hand cup your cheek. “Livvy,” he murmured. 

“Yes?” 

“Shut up and let me kiss you.”  

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[ask-dbd-wh-au]

DBD AU Welcome Home Reference Sheets + Facts

Wally and Y/N are the only two currently trapped in the Entity's realm!

The Neighborhood! Currently Unaware of Wally's whereabouts and is assumed missing/dead, they have no idea about the entity at all nor know who Y/N is.

Fun Facts About DBD (Dead by Daylight) AU Wally:

He was captured by the entity and is one of the many made to kill to feed the entity unwillingly

He obeys the entity in hopes of one day returning home/to his friends

The further the match goes on the more his hair starts to fall down out of his pompadour

Whenever he's seen crying black ink its majority of the time him mourning what he's lost and/or missing his friends/Home

Sometimes when he's alone he mutters to himself either about his friends, echoing convos he used to have w/ them, or is talkin to 'them' despite no one bein there

He hums Beautiful Dreamer to himself, almost like a comfort to distract himself from the reality of things

His hums work a lot like the Huntress

His eyes are always wide open, rarely lidded/relaxed

The entity absorbed itself partially into Wally's body and only bursts out in the back to make the claws to travel

The claws Wally can mostly control, the tendrils/tentacles is entirely the entity and he has absolute no control over them

The claws are entirely inspired by the same ones that covers gens and forms on hooks so think of them as relatively the same

Whenever Wally resists the Entity he feels intense pain throughout his whole body bc of the entity

Wally has only most control in the claws bc if he stays still/refuse to chase the Entity will take control and force Wally to go after survivors again; In a way the Entity is like a puppeteer if Wally disobeys, it takes control of his movements until he does what it wants again

Wally isn't willingly killing anyone, he does so because of the entity and the empty promise that obeying means he'll return home one day

Wally disassociates often bc of having to kill and sometimes hallucinates audio and visually

There's no true way for Wally to see/reunite with his friends unless he finally escapes the entity or the entity kidnaps them to become a survivor

The others don't know where Wally has gone, Home is the most distressed about this with Barnaby being a close second

The AU works with the theory/concept that WH exists in like a pocket universe where all the puppets are actually alive however Wally is the only one with a puppet in the real world/human world that he can actually control and such + is the only one aware of the real world outside of Home who only knows because Wally confided to him about it

DBD! Wally's Mori:

FAQ About the DBD AU

Q: What is DBD? A: Its an abbreviation for dead by daylight, what's dead by daylight? Its a game, google can go more in depth about it more than I can!

Q: Will any of your aus be made into ai chat bots? A: No. My boundaries have been breached a million times over on this so anyone mentioning anything about ai bots will get blocked.

Q: Is DBD Wally a spider? A: No, he had no bug like influence. Wally was inspired by the Entity claws from the actual game and Doc Oc from Spiderman/Spiderverse.I have a huge bug/arachnophobia so no, he is not a spider

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

01/31/2024 Daily Recap

TLDR; Cast & Crew Sightings; Watch Parties; OurFlagMeansDeadloch; LubeAsACrew; Stats; UK News; Upcoming Events; Other News; Favor To Ask; Love Notes; DailyDarby/Tonight's Taika

== Cast and Crew Sightings ==

Probably the cutest sighting would be Con O'Neill's dog Cooper

== How To Help ==

How to help docs have been updated with queerties and other stats!

How To Help Save OFMD Task List - US

How to Help Save OFMD Task List - Outside US

== Watch Parties ==

Today was Day 2, episodes 3 and 4 of Deadloch!

I realised I totally forgot to crew reactions up for Deadloch yesterday! Sorry all! Here's some from todays watch!

On to episodes 5/6 tomorrow! Same time same place!

== LubeAsACrew ==

The second Lube as a crew was widely successful! Trending at #7! Thanks for catching it @_irene_adler!

Everybody had a lot of fun with it, here's some highlights!

Our lovely friend over at @Astroglide left some fantastic tweets for us, I'm including a few that stood out.

== Stats ==

Some interesting stats today! Thank you @meowzawowza_ on twitter for these details!

More stats by @lucyrosebutler regarding How well OFMD is doing in the US!

== UK News ==

Reminder! 5 days until S2 airs in the UK!

Thanks as always to our lovely @lamentus1 for the update in the UK!

"I tweeted at 13 lucky TV Guide journalists in the UK all about Our Flag Means Death and the efforts of the fandom and also why the show is so great. I have a document with their twitters and email addresses. Email will be my next line of attack! If anyone wants access to the UK TV Guide press list let me know! We were thinking that we should introduce a spoiler free way for people who are starting to watch season 2 on the BBC to interact with the campaign on Twitter. I think it might be to encourage them to follow #OurFlagBBC while encouraging anyone posting spoilers under that hashtag to add #ofmd2spoilers so that people can avoid seeing spoilers. One other thing that’s coming up later in February is that Chxrlotte on our UK crew will be releasing an Our Flag Means Death inspired track on her label on 24 February! She has a ton of gorgeous tracks that are often inspired by shows like OFMD and Good Omens, and the new one is about Ed and Stede. I’ve had a preview of the new track and it’ll make you cry! @shutupchxrlotte's Twitter Her other stuff is on Apple Music and Spotify here"

Please have a listen!

== Upcoming Events ==

#StewAsACrew

Reminder! Feb 4th is National Homemade Soup Day! More deets! Be sure to share your soup/stew pics with these hashtags:

#StewAsACrew

#SaveOFMD

#AdoptOurCrew

Not a soup bitch but still want to help?

You can politely menace: @CambellSoupCo and @CampbellsChunky with our petition hashtags!

==New Watch Party!==

Muppet Treasure Island - Feb 7th 2024

4PM EST, 1PM PST, 9 PM GMT

Watch Party Hashtags:

#MuppetPirates

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

== Other News ==

Warner bros stock is still dropping! Sure looks like cancelling OFMD wasn't a very lucrative plan. Thanks @iamadequate_ for this!

Max still has billboards up for OFMD in Hollywood! Thanks @LeanneBrodie13 for catching this!

Also, @_irene_adler caught some audacity from Max in trying to monetize OFMD merch for Valentine's Day.

== Favor to Ask ==

I've been working on a bit of a side project of putting together an OFMD Renewal Repository for resources that doesn't require anyone to log into ... twitter, IG, tumblr, facebook, etc. It's still WIP but I'd love some constructive feedback if anyone would be willing to take a look and let me know what they think. I won't be replacing the tumblr recaps with it, but will be posting them there minus the gifs at the end so they can be shared to other platforms if needed.

My specific questions are:

Are there more categories / different information you'd like to have added?

Is it generally easy to find information?

Is this a bad idea? (too many places with this stuff already?)

Other feedback welcome!

I am totally cool with constructive feedback, feel free to dm me :)

== Love Notes ==

Hey lovelies. Do you ever worry you're too much? Like you talk too much, or feel too much, or come off too strong? I know I do some days.

Just remember, on days you're feeling too much, you're probably shining your brightest. What other people think is too much is just you, and you're allowed to shine! Don't ever let their inability to see your worth stop you. Saw this on IG today and thought of you call. Gnight crew, all the love <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

These gifs go together, I don't make the rules.